I Hope I Never Forget These Moments

I had one of those flash forward moments with my daughter Riley.

You know the ones…the ones where you blink and for a second they look like they’re 15 or 16 years old. 

Riley wanted me to do her hair, so I put it up in a cute little bun for her. We were playing and because she was facing away from me while I did her hair, she leaned back and looked up at me.

She said, “Daddy, I love you. Thank you.” And she said it in a way that wasn’t a toddler-ish. It was much more mature. I looked at her and instantly saw her older in her teen years and not as the three year old she is now.

But I didn’t want this moment to go away. I wanted to remember it forever, so I told her to turn around. I grabbed her hands, I made her look me in the eyes, and I said, “Riley, I love you, too. I’m so proud of you. I’m proud to be your daddy. You are awesome.”

I hope I never forget these moments.