About 5 minutes ago, my 9 year old daughter walked in to see me.
"Daddy, is today the 11th?"
"Yes Pumpkin, today is the 11th."
There is a giant calendar hanging in our kitchen. Both of my girls have calendars hanging by their desks. Both also have several date books and planners obtained from various sources. Finally, they both have iPods that happily display the date and time. Nonetheless, the preferred source for vital information like today's date is Daddy.
As my daughter was walking away, I thought for a second about reminding her of how many tools she has at her fingertips to find today's date. After all, part of my job is to teach my little princesses to be self-sufficient and resourceful. I have to help them become capable adults. Surely I should teach her that she doesn't need me to tell her the date!
Then it dawned on me that one day she'll stop asking me questions like that. At some point she won't need Daddy to confirm the date, or spell a word, or help her change the battery in a toy. At some other point she'll understand that Daddy doesn't have every answer. She might even figure out that sometimes Daddy doesn't even understand the question.
I paused for a second, then held my tongue and let her walk away in silence.
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