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I think I've peaked as a parent.
My daughter turns the Big 4 in August. She and I are extremely close. And boy do I love that.
Drew, like most little girls her age, is into Princess.
To the indoctrinated, no explanation of Princess is necessary. If you don't know, Princess refers to the Disney Princesses. As in Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, etc.
The story lines for each princess varies, but in the end they all meet a prince and live happily every after.
Drew's favorite is Sleeping Beauty.
Sleeping Beauty, the story goes, falls into a long, deep sleep after a witch lures her into a trap. The only way to awaken her is with a kiss from a prince.
The other day my daughter had a friend come over to play.
They pull out the Princess dresses, shoes, crowns, pretend makeup and act like their favorite princess. My daughter of course puts on the Sleeping Beauty stuff.
While the two are playing, my daughter drops to the ground and pretends to be "asleep." From her deep sleep she whispers that I need to kiss her so she can wake up.
I am her prince, she explains.
I give her a kiss. She awakens.
And I melt.
Wow.
Besides making me feel really good, it's another reminder of the important role I play in her life, and all dads play in their daughter's lives.
Whoever turns out to be Drew's real prince, I am her first prince. And she will likely marry somebody like me. At least that's what psychologists say.
That's a pretty awesome responsibilty. And it's a role that only we dads can play.
And as I enjoy this moment, I also remind myself that my daughter is not even 4 yet.
And this is just the beginning.
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