A beautiful and magical daughter
There’s a bit of disbelief personally that my daughter Áine will no longer be a “single-digit” human being. Come January 14, she will reach that decade mark. For me, reaching that point in life was when my memories are easily recalled. My prior childhood memories are murky. That first decade of life, though punctuated with some major memorable incidents, are tucked away in some web-filled corner of my mind.
From here on out, Áine’s life will accelerate.
And there’s nothing I can do about it.
For someone who is a bit longer in the tooth than the average dad when she was born, I knew that my time with her would require a savoring of every moment that could be had. And as a musician, out on the road, it meant that I would miss stretches of time.
Fate, in the form of the pandemic, was kind in affording more time than I could have possibly had without it. I was able to hunker down and be a father, play, draw, create music and enjoy a beautiful, magical daughter for almost three years.
Now, on the cusp of this next decade, the pre-teen questions,the curious anticipation of a child heading toward those teenage years are already starting to be asked.
“Papa, when was your first kiss?”
“Papa, what high school do you think I should go to?”
It is interesting to hear such questions. I know there are a lot more challenges for her generation than mine at that age. Áine’s generation lives in a world in which the adults have made being an adult something forced upon children. Too much information out there with too many apps and distractions. The headline alone in this Fortune article, drawing attention to the fact that social media made over 11 billion in advertising revenue from kids in 2022 underscores the point.
Also bombarded by social media, I can see how mesmerizing and yes, downright dangerous so much unvetted distraction can be for anyone, let alone a child.
What a responsibility we have as a society to make some protocol around this unfettered medium.
She also is keenly aware of the suffering around her in the world, a lot of that dispensed by the aforementioned medium. Wars, the changing climate and even political turmoil are fears that even we adults have difficulty coping with. Only by the grace of God are we in this part of the world in which we don’t have the trauma of war and death as a daily companion. This part of her I wish I could shield her from. But it is useless.
Yet, I have seen her be just a kid. And I am happy to know that there are still stuffed animals, crayons and the belief in faeries and magic. That all her friends aren’t rushing to wear makeup, to pierce ears and grow up just yet. They too have parents that want to savor their kids being kids. I am grateful for such sanity.
I am also grateful that she still has a kid’s sense of excitement and wonder at the natural world. It allows me to see the world as it should be, even if for just a little while.
Somehow, she will continue to navigate her way forward, growing and learning. And somehow, I will have to slowly learn to let go, as she grows and learns. I will miss that single-digit, small child I have had the honor to carry up to her bed after falling asleep on the couch. I am not ready to let that small child grow any faster in any way. And I thank God for the opportunity to be a dad to such a beautiful and magical child.
MARTIN'S OTHER BLOG CAN BE REACHED HERE.