Daddy's Little Girl

Most people who know Matt would agree that he is definitely a man’s man – a deer hunting, Harley riding, sports watching, no whining, man’s man. In the nearly seven years we’ve been together, I’ve seen very little of his sensitive side (but I swear, it really does exist). His straightforward personality and rugged nature work for me (most of the time, anyway), but I sometimes wondered how that would work for us when we had children. I wasn’t sure if he would be interested in diaper changes, baby talk, and pretend tea parties. There were times when he wasn’t sure either, but that was before we had a daughter.

Nothing softens a man’s heart like the birth of his baby girl. The moment the doctor handed Reese over to Matt in the delivery room, a new kind of tenderness surfaced in him. Her little body looked even smaller in his big hands, and it was an amazing sight to watch him hold her, change her, and dress her in those first few months. It didn’t take long for her to recognize his voice, his face, and his touch; and she quickly became his biggest fan. Some of my favorite parenting moments are watching the two of them together as she chases him around the kitchen, bounces down the hall on his shoulders, or runs for a hug when he comes home from work.

In my heart I always knew Matt would be a great dad, and my instinct is confirmed every time he changes the channel from ESPN to Disney, every time I see him wearing a pink headband and holding a yellow tea cup, and every time I see the look on his face when Reese says, “Good night, Daddy. Me love you.” It’s moments like these that inspired me to write this poem for all of the little girls whose hero will always be named “Daddy.” Happy Father’s Day!!

Daddy’s Little Girl

The very first man to take my hand

The first to kiss my cheek.

The first to hold me in his arms;

A bundle wrapped in pink.

The first to say, “I love you”

And promise me the world.

I feel safe and loved because

I’m Daddy’s Little Girl.

I’ve become his everything.

There’s nothing he won’t do.

He’ll wear pink bows and paint my toes

If I just ask him to.

He’ll dress up like a princess

And pour a cup of tea

Just because he always knows

How much it means to me.

He teaches me my manners

And reminds me to behave.

He tells me I should give and share.

He makes me strong and brave.

He shows me how to say my prayers

And walk proud in my faith.

He makes sure I always know

The path a good man takes.

And each night when he tucks me in,

He knows someday I’ll go.

But as I make my way into the world,

I hope he always knows

That no matter where life takes me,

There’s no man in the world

Who could ever take his place because

I’m Daddy’s Little Girl.