No Dad Judgment Needed

Number 1 just finished her first year of teaching last week. As we were approaching the end of school, we asked what we could do to support her with a gift for all the hard work she had put in to her first year of teaching. I was thinking she might ask for practical things like money or a new computer or dishes for her new apartment or maybe help her start to save money for a new car. Nope, none of those. What she really wanted was tickets to see Jessie James Decker in concert in Houston. No judgement here but I really had no idea who that was. After a very detailed description of who she was and why she liked her so much, I was on board and started the planning.

The concert happened to be her first Saturday after school ended so timing was perfect. Since I got to go on the last trip with Number 1 to Nashville, I made sure that Kori could be part of this celebration. It even worked out that Kori’s sister Kendra could go along for the trip. There were four of them. Kedzie and her friend and Kori and Kendra. My job was to secure the tickets to make everyone happy. This is a job I gladly accepted and set out to meet everyone’s expectations.

I was able to secure two standing room only VIP tickets for Kedzie and her friend and for my wife and sister in law, I was able to secure a table with two comfortable chairs close to the action so they could watch Kedzie have the time of her life but not so close as they would have been forced to stand all night. As I was told by both parties, it was all perfect. A job well done on my part but that was easy and certainly not the best part.

The best part for me is hearing all about how I helped make Number 1’s dream come true. She texted me she was shaking and couldn’t believe she got to meet someone she idolized. All through the concert she was sending me texts or videos from the show. It was her way to connect with me even though I wasn’t there. It was her way to say what I did for her was appreciated more that I could know.

To top it off, I was getting encouraging texts from Kori and Kendra as well saying how great the seats were and that there was no way they could have stood for the entire show so thank you for knowing that about them. I knew I wouldn’t have wanted to stand the whole time so that was a no brainer.

This could have gone a lot differently had I decided to add my own judgment to her Jessie James Decker concert request. I have been known to add my own unsolicited opinion in the past and although the intent is positive, it has never been received in that positive light. So this time, I just listened to her and her needs, wants and desires. I could tell how important it was to her and I was happy to oblige.

I’m almost 50 and have been learning how to be a good dad for over 23 years now. It’s the most important job I will ever have and I am happy to report I get it right more times than I get it wrong. My judgments can get the best of me at times and I am very happy that in this case I kept my opinions

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