Crap, I was starting to sound like my dad.
My daughters aren’t calling or staying in touch. I feel forgotten. A part of me feels like they don’t appreciate or love me.
How dare they?
After everything I’ve done for them, they owe me.
Then I remembered that my babies don’t owe me anything. I did everything from a place of love- not as a transaction. Plus, I am not in the debt-collection business.
But dad needs love too.
My oldest thinks she’s an adult. That might be because she’s almost 20, and legally she’s been an adult for a minute. There’s that.
Finding quality time to catch up with her has been challenging.
My only option was to start treating her like an adult. So I decided to do what I now do with my close friends. I asked my big girl if she would be open to having a monthly brunch date with dad.
She didn’t flinch and said: NO.
Just kidding. She said: Yes. Of course, she said yes.
I could continue the timeless pattern of complaining that my kids never call me. Or I could try to find a solution that wouldn’t make my daughter feel guilty.
So it’s booked along with weekly check-in calls. I had to be intentional about what I needed.
This dad needs love and attention. A lot of it. So says my love languages.