God, give me the strength
to not say or do anything that will upset my daughter or her girlfriend this weekend
I’m in the doghouse. That much is clear. But, my daughter opened the door a crack today. I have another chance. I can creep out with my tail between my legs and try again.
When my daughter contacted me today, I was half-sure she was calling to cancel our visit. Hell, I’d nearly canceled the night before, and I actually had canceled several nights ago. We fumbled our way back toward each other because we love one another, but damn, this is hard.
Part of what’s so hard is that I’m dreadfully confused and dismayed because my daughter and I got along well throughout her life at home. There were no near-knock-down-drag-out fights like there were with my son. No totaled cars, no expulsions, suspensions, no calls about bags of pot being moved stealthily from locker to locker.
My daughter was exemplary. A straight-A student who spent the entirety of middle and high school ensconced in her room, studying.
So, maybe it makes sense that she’s tearing away hard now. I’m sure it’s absolutely necessary.
But it’s been painful and unexpected. She is on a mission, drawing and holding her boundaries with a ferocity and stubborn-ness I never knew she…
