Email from a father to daughter

My Dear Princess,

Oh ya, that is pretty much how most of the fathers treat their daughters. Like a little princess. And I am no different. I just could not think of any other way to address you. Today you are turning 9 year old. Young enough to play with dolls but old enough to understand this letter. And even if you don’t I am sure that you will understand it someday.

First thoughts of you are on the day you were born nine years ago. The moment I held you, I was a changed man. To be truthful to you, I was never excited about fatherhood for reasons I have no idea about. But then when the moment came, it floored me in a second. Just holding you, the tiny little you, in my arms, a chill went through my spine. My entire existence was filled with a sense of immense joy which I had never experienced before. I slid a finger through your tiny hand and you held it tightly. And that is what sums up our lovely relationship for the entire life. Just holding on to each other in good times and not so good.

And then came the second day when doctor asked me to take you and show you some sunlight. I grabbed a plastic chair and exposed you to sunlight. You saw such bright light for the first time and your little eyes opened up. This was your first experience of how this world would look like. You opened your tiny eyes and I was in front of you with my finger still between your tiny fingers. You saw me through your eyes and I saw you inside your eyes. Still all your tiny fingers cuddled around my single finger.

Kids grow fast and probably even more so girls. I remember the day you learned to talk, the day you learned to walk. Too many memories to talk about. I remember holding you at night and walking in the home to put you to sleep. The moment I stopped walking you used to wake up to remind me to continue my walk. The day you learned to walk it was just too tough to stop you. One lesson I learnt on that day was that there comes a day when parental concern has to give way to recognizing a kid’s individuality. I might be concerned about that you might fall but then nobody has ever learnt how to walk without falling.

I have sweet memories of watching movies with you in PVR Gold Class. The way you enjoy the sofa and the way we fight over the food. I have never bothered what movie it is, just the thought of you being on my side and enjoying the movie is good enough. And then when you laugh like crazy rolling all over the place on the most stupid scene in the movie, your laughter is like music to my ears.

I asked you today morning that at what age you will stop playing with dolls and you told me that once you turn 10 you will. So that means just one more year left for the doll phase of your life to get over. And I know that the next phase you enter will throw up lot of challenges in your life. In the doll phase of life you have had a different perspective of life and people and in the next phase things will change. All I can say is that in this new phase I will try my best to mould myself from a father who’s finger you held to a friend who walks with you hand in hand through all your happiness and sorrows. A friend who walks with you who is not so close that he intrudes into your privacy and individuality but not far so that your shout does not reach him when you need him. Hoping to forge this bond of friendship and love with you which is based on the foundation of your childhood memories.

I am sure you will grow to be a beautiful and lovely person with a sense of independence and value system. You will bring joy to yourself and to all around you. You will have ambition as high as a mountain and a sense of achievement in all things you do. Lot of parents love to see their unfulfilled dreams in their kids but my only wish is that you are able to figure out a way of defining your existence as you want it to be. And I hope I will also grow up to accept you as you are and love you for what you are and even for what you are not.

And then one day will come when I will fade away as everybody should and hope what I will leave for you is few lingering memories of joyous time spent together and a feeling that I will always be with you in all forms of existence.

Your Loving Father