The Game of Fatherhood

If I could go back and give my teenage self advice I would tell him to continue writing down any ideas, thoughts, poems, songs, jingles, titles, and stories you have throughout your entire life so you know what you were doing, what you were like at those points in life. Writing is how you can drum up deep memories or keep current events fresh on your mind. Writing can give you a different perspective and purpose for any situation. I wrote this piece late last night to my teenage daughter. I think this prompt is appropriate to introduce to any readers I may have today.  

THE GAME OF FATHERHOOD

I’m supposed to be her dad. I am her dad. I’m dad to both. I’m dad to all of them. I let one down – I let them all down. Today I let others pick them up while they’re young. One day I’ll let others pick them up and take them away. I let them all down but not all at once. I’ll start with the oldest. The others will have to wait their turn. She will go on to do great things. They will all do great things. 

End of poem. When you start writing as a teenager most people feel like they are writing for someone else like for an assignment or little notes (texts) or something. I never felt that way. I did it for myself because I felt this way (in a poem) so I wrote it for self expression. I started writing again at middle age for myself, to get better at more than just writing again, but I have been posting my writing because it makes me feel like I’m contributing to new social norms outside of social media. I could have just written this poem and sent it as a text to my daughter or just kept it for myself or posted it without a prompt but at my age I think I need to write to more than just my feelings, to more readers. This is my teenage self telling himself as a middle aged man to practice what you preach and do not stop writing. Find where you are by sharing your thoughts from yesterday, today, and what will be tomorrow, until the end…..