Thursday, January 25, 2007

On Having a Teenage Daughter

Thanks to "First Touch" from the NC Soccer Forum for this insight:

Up through about the age of 10, sometimes as late as 12, daughters can be one of the most astoundingly delightful gifts nature could ever bestow on a man, truly magical beyond words.

But when daddy's girl becomes a teenager, some perverse hormonal poltergeist moves into their bodies, and at unpredictable intermittent intervals turns that delightful fawn-creature into a snarling, spitting untamable hellcat that claws up the emotional furniture in the household. And just as abruptly, sometimes that delightful fawn-creature you remembered before the teen years comes back, sometimes for extended periods. Sometimes, you mistakenly even think the hellcat has finally left the building for good - but sooner or later you are rudely reminded: it was only sleeping inside its host.

And this is with a daughter who's doing ok in school, socially, and athletically, and not getting into any sort of outward trouble. I can only imagine how fierce the demon-cat is that fathers of more troubled teenage girls have to deal with.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I'll say it again...thank goodness I only have boys. Not that they don't have their own special brand of drama, but I think it's scarier for girls' moms!