At 10:22 on July 27 of 1995, my first child was born. Months of worry and a lifetime of prayers had led to that moment. I recall vividly in the early hours of the following morning that I sat and gently rocked her, long after the nurses had left and Kadie had finally succumbed to the fatigue of the day and the long night. (I also recall the Texas Rangers snapping an eight game losing streak, but that's not important right now).
So I was the only one in the room, rocking my newborn when the pediatrician came in to give her a check up. He was in his early forties, not too much older than I am today. He paused for a moment as he saw me rock her and he smiled and said “Tomorrow she’s going to be all grown up.”
I considered strangling him on the spot.
But he’s now been proved right. As of yesterday evening, we now have a teenager in the house. May God have mercy on our souls.
Kadie took her to get her ears pierced this weekend. Scooter has been looking forward to that rite of passage for most of her thirteen years. When she would ask why she couldn’t get them pierced any earlier, I always would respond “Because you will have the rest of your life to be a grown up. You can be a little kid for awhile longer.”
After they returned from the mall, she came up to me in the living room, pulled her hair back to display her new earrings and said “How do I look Daddy?”
For just a moment when I looked at her, all I could see was:
For just a moment when I looked at her, all I could see was:
"You look beautiful, honey, just like you always have."
3 comments:
Taran, this made me well up at my work desk. Happy Birthday, Scooter.
You're making me cry here. I remember that sweet face well and find myself often wondering "When did you grow up?" about my own! Tell Scooter Happy Birthday from all of us.
Mrs. Bruce,
We'll never forget that you and your husband were both there at the beginning. Kadie and I have tried to follow ya'lls parental example for over a decade now.
Scooter says thanks for the birthday wishes.
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