They Can Date...When They're 30

Here is a picture of my little Cutie Pie/Kewpie last night, flanked by adoring men. (How many adoring men does it take to feed one irresistible baby girl a bottle? At least two, apparently, and Papa and Daddy were only too happy to do the job.)

I believe that this sort of scene--you know, a man on either side, each bidding to play the part of knight in shining armor--is going to become an all-too-familiar one for this little peanut and her identical twin sister when they grow into the beautiful young ladies they are destined to become. The bummer for their daddy, though, is that not all of those future adoring men will be doting relatives, and that's when things will get tough for my boy! He has already mentioned, only half-jokingly, that his girls aren't ever going to date, because they'll be joining the convent. He has also suggested that he may have to get himself a shotgun, and that he'll always just happen to be in the process of cleaning it when young men come to call on his precious daughters. Just to keep them honest, you understand.

It's a whole new world for my oldest son, who grew up with four younger brothers in a house rife with snakes and snails and puppy dog tails. After being raised in a virtual man cave, he is now a father to not just one little sweetie made of sugar and spice and everything nice, but TWO! He is now outnumbered three to one. (Welcome to my world, son!) But he is loving every minute of it.

My boy was far away on deployment when his twin daughters were born. He got to see them for two weeks while he was on leave, when they were about a month old, but didn't return from Afghanistan for good until they were four months old. It took those baby girls a little while to get used to him, but now they light up when he's around. Cutie/Kewpie in particular is currently going through a "Daddy's girl" phase. For my husband and me, there's nothing more heart-tugging than seeing one of our granddaughters resting her head on our son's shoulder and hugging him with her chubby little pink arms.

My daughter-in-law recently repeated a quote she'd seen, and I believe it hits the nail right on the head: "A father is his son's hero and his daughter's first love." So true!

And in the case of my little granddaughters, their father might be their ONLY love--at least for a good long while. They might not have to become nuns--I mean, my son is not an unreasonable man. He'll probably allow them to date...eventually...when they're about 30.