You can imagine my horror when, our
then pre-school darling, Shirley Temple “little me” came in from her tap dance
class to start acting, singing and “tapping” out the words and actions to her
first recital piece. The title: “MY
FIRST DATE!!”
What had this world come too? And why in the world would they think I
(maybe even “they”) would think it appropriate for barely five year olds to be
lip syncing to a song about putting on make-up and curling their hair and
putting on a silver flapper style dress for…their first date!! I’m telling you
I was appalled!!
Of course my innocent baby Michelle was
absolutely ecstatic with her new dance steps and song. Moms, I made no
apologies my chin was on the floor. Are
you kidding?
So now that you are feeling my pain…indeed
the choreographed number was with each little girl behind an imagined vanity
putting on her make-up from a compact and mimicking how you dress and brush your hair. They then came from the back of their
imaginary vanities to show a few of their recently learned dance steps: “slap
ball changes” and “heal ball changes.”
They would then be ready for their
“First Date” and wait for their dads
to come from behind the offset curtains dressed in suits and ties! (The visual picture cannot be imagined from
words, but it was a precious sight. The little girls expectation
of their dads and then to see how hard it was for the dad’s not to run across
the stage and scoop up their babies!)
All that to say almost 25 years later, I
watched this Saturday morning as our lovely, young, happily married daughter came
to our house. Hair in a pony with
mismatched shorts and a t-shirt. Her dad was clad in his camouflaged shorts and baseball hat. They were ready for their date!
Dad’s choice: the local diner you can
walk too. The neighbors meet at the diner daily to talk about the recent
elections and how long the new canal bridge is going to take to be finished. After our daughter and her date finish their grits,
eggs and toast they scurry out for a fairly typical Saturday tradition,
“Yardsale!” (I’ve previously posted about.)
As we have enjoyed our children at most
of the stages, it is such a blessing to watch them
gravitate to the memories of their childhood.
They tend to follow the memories that made them feel secure or happy or
remind them of those they love.
I am glad Michelle has learned she
doesn’t need make-up or a new dress to impress her date. Her husband IS her perfect date, but I pray
she will always remember how very special her first date was…with her dad!
Zephaniah 3: 17
"...The Lord will take great delight in you!"
