1. Daddy will always love, protect, and support you. No matter what, I will always be your daddy. You may be grown and married with your own children but you will always be my little girls. I love you all more than I can possibly explain and would protect you from anything. If someone tries to hurt you, you can be assured I will try to stop them. Never forget, I will always love you even though I may not like some of your behavior. There is a difference between the two. I love you all for who you are as individuals.
2. You can do anything. Never let anyone ever tell you that you are not capable of doing something. It is a lie. You are all capable of being what you want to be and doing what your heart desires. If you want to be a doctor, go for it. If you want to pursue a life in military service, great. If you dream of being a performer or artist, follow those dreams. I will not stop you, but support you.
3. Respect yourself. If you do not respect yourself first, no one else will. Whether you know it or not, other people will know if you have no respect for yourself by the way you present yourself, and that includes your body. Do not let society tell you what is perfect because, frankly my darlings, human perfection is not possible. You have to respect who you are, and know that your are special. You deserve to be treated as such.
4. It is perfectly okay to say "No." This is something I always want you to remember. Friends, including boyfriends, will try to sway you into poor choices. Peer pressure can be a bad thing and just because someone else does something, it does not mean you need to. Girlfriends will try to pressure you into acting, dressing, and behaving in a certain way because it is the "in" thing. Do not be a follower. It is okay to say no. Boys will tell you what they think you want to hear to get you to do things that they want you to do. It is okay to tell them no. It they don't understand or respect it coming from you, they will understand when I tell them. I promise you that.
5. Follow God. This is most important. Never lose sight of Him. He is righteous, he is wonderful, he is amazing. He will guide, protect, and keep you. Hear these words, and believe them: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. - Proverbs 3:5-6
Now for the lighter side.
6. The oil light comes on for a reason. When you are driving down the road and the little orange light comes on that looks like a can with a spout...change the oil. A brief lesson in mechanics is in order. An engine guns on gasoline (which you must also put in, but before the light comes on). Inside, it has oil to run smoothly due to the heat and metal parts. No oil, no running engine. If the light comes on take it to a shop and get them to change it. It is better to pay $30 to get it done than $3000 to replace an engine. Plus, you are supporting the economy and providing jobs and all that stuff. The lesson...if you don't change the oil your car will die and I will not buy you another one.
7. The tire won't change itself. I will teach you how to change a flat tire so that if one goes flat you can quickly get it fixed and back on the road. I don't want you to hang out on the side of the highway waiting for some wacko to show up to help. If it goes flat, change it and move on. If there is a problem, call me. If you are married at the time...call your husband.
8. Boys are stinky, sweaty, and stupid. They can only concentrate on one thing at a time. Usually that is a sport of some kind and when they are not thinking about sports, they are thinking about girls. I know because I was one. Now I am smart, and I am smart because your mother made me that way. Don't tell her I said that though.
9. Money does not grow on trees. Regardless of what you think, I do not have a tree in the backyard that supplies me with an infinite number of dollar bills. And, producing my own dollar bills is a federal offense. No, I cannot just write a check. There must be money in my account to write a check for anything. No I cannot just use my debit card, either. This is for the same reason. When you are in high school and you want new shoes...get a job. I did and it was good enough for me.
10. Yes, this is your home and NO, you cannot stay forever. At some point I expect you to go to college, get a job, and move out. That is called being an adult. You will grow up and hopefully have a family of your own, and you will have to live in your own house. Yes I love you, but you will eventually have to get out.
There are more things I know I will have to teach them. The list will grow and change as time moves on. Hopefully I will remember everything and not completely mess everything up. Being a daddy is a great responsibility, isn't it? I have survived so far and cannot wait to see what the next several years holds for us all. My only request...pray for us all.
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