59 days. That’s 1,416 hours. That’s 84,960 minutes left. Left of what you may ask? Summer break. Seriously, I think I might go nuts. I work 3.5 days a week and off 3.5 days a week so I am home with Kylie for 3.5 days while my wife trains in the morning. That’s with one child. I can’t imagine being a stay at home parent with two or more. Hats off to you stay at home moms and dads. Kylie is an awesome daughter and she is very independent when it comes to most things and she isn’t one to constantly be up my butt, so why I am saying only 59 days left?

It’s because I feel like I lost my freedom. I feel like I am selfish. I feel like I constantly have to entertain her. I feel like I can’t go workout. I feel like I can’t go out and run for an hour. I feel like……  I feel like I won’t have many of these summers with her left.

Those of you that have older children know how fast these times go and I know in a few years she won’t want to snuggle and watch tv with me. I know she will want to spend more time with her friends than with me. I know how I spend this time with her now will influence how she relates to other men in her life as she gets older. I know she watches me and how I handle difficult situations. I know she watches me to see if I read the Bible today. I know that when we go anywhere and she holds my hand there is no place I would rather be in this world.  I know I wasn’t the greatest father to my oldest daughters. I know during the years when they were this age, I worked 60-70 hours a week. I know I missed a lot of life with them. Time I will never get back. They will never truly know how it pained me to miss that time and how sorry I am. I know I don’t want to miss it with my last daughter.

I feel like I will gladly give up my freedom because I know I will be selfish to spend as much time with her before she moves on to the rest of her life. It won’t be long until we go from “Just Fishin” to “Cleaning My Gun”. One day I will blink and wish I had  59 days, 1416 hours, 84960 minutes to spend with her.

Dear God, thank You for this time You have given me to spend with my daughter. I pray that when I get frustrated with not having enough me time that You remind me this is the time You have given me to spend with her, to bond with her, to teach her about You, to love her,  and to cherish her. I pray that You help me with my older daughters to be able to speak with them, spend time with them, and make up for the time I missed with them. Thank you for my family. In Your name, amen.

It Won’t Be Like This For Long by Darius Rucker – 

You’re Gonna Miss This by Trace Adkins – 

Let Them Be Little by Billy Dean – 

My Little Girl by Tim Mcgraw – 

Just Fishin by Trace Adkins – 

Cinderella by Steven Curtis Chapman – 

Don’t Blink by Kenny Chesney – 

Butterfly Kisses by Bob Carlisle – 

There Goes My Life by Kenny Chesney – 

Photograph by Ed Sheeran – 

Watching You by Rodney Atkins – 

Heaven by Live – 

One Life To Love by 33 Mile – 

Turn Around Slowly by David Kauffman – 

Never Grow Up by Taylor Swift – 

Handprints On The Wall by Kenny Rogers – 

You’ll Always Be My Baby by Sara Evans – 

You Can Let Go  by Crystal Shawanda – from birth to death wow… 

Daddy Dance With Me by Krystal Keith – 

Butterfly Fly Away by Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus – 

 

<a href=”https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/summer/”>Summer</a&gt;