Daddy Daughter Dinner and Dance

I had been informed that this was going to happen I just didn't really think about what it entailed. My daughter is 8, and I was pretty sure that the last thing she would want to do is go to a dance with me. But she seemed excited and of course I was happy to go along. The dinner part was pretty normal fair, first salad, which I proud to say my daughter was the only kid at the table that finished hers. Next a main course of  lasagna and bread followed by desert cake. Then it was time for the dancing... uh, yeah. Ill admit that form one stand point it was cute, I was not the oldest or youngest father there. Tianna is my oldest, but there were some veteran dads there with their baby-of-the-family. There was even a teenage brother who came in place of his dad, so we covered the spectrum. And they played some mainstay novelty songs, Chicken Dance, Macarena, Electric Slide (which  I nailed by the way) but then we got to the new fangled modern party dances, Cha Cah real slow, Stomp Two Times, and some other Do-What-It-Says songs that move a lot faster than the Electric Slide. It was pretty funny to watch some young and not-so-young fathers boogie down. A lot of them could to "The Twist" pretty "good?" But it was when we hit the Daddy-Daughter themed songs that I lost it. I'm certain Tianna thought I was crying cause she couldn't keep up a two-step. I have a young lady for a daughter, and she is growing up pretty fast. I know that sounds do dang cliche, but that's just the way it is.

So, Tianna, if you ever read this I want you to know a couple of things:

Dance to every song - When I was a kid(and even tonight) I couldn't stay off the floor, it was just fun, I probably made a fool of my self doing the lawn-mower, but I had a blast, just fill in where you don't know the steps. It is better to be known as fun loving then a wallflower.

Dance with everybody - While I was never the most popular guy, there was this girl in my school that was, well, less popular. She wore a pretty awful dress to one dance and I'm sure was the butt of a few jokes. While I can't say I was so awesome as to instantly come to her rescue, I did eventually dance with her, had a nice conversation went to dance with other people. And there were girls more popular than me that tolerated a couple turns around the dance floor with my two left feet. If you can be the one to break the stigma and ask the nerd/geek/ugly/awkward person to dance you will come to someones rescue in more ways than one.

Come to the Dance Alone - (Except for Homecoming and Prom, you can have a date then, provided he has passed a series of background/drug/psychoanalysis tests and isn't afraid to ask me if he can ask me if he can ask your mother if he can ask me if he can ask you to the dance.) Don't be tied down, epically in Mid/High School, it is no fun, you have to kinda do what they want, they might not like to dance, they may just want to hang out being "cool," or run back and fort to the bathroom, and you will feel strange wanting to dance with someone else, they will get all weird, make the dance no fun and you may never see this person again for the rest of your life! Who needs that pressure? Get with that group of friends that is there being goofy and excited to just be together. You will have so much more fun, and that is what it's all about.

Kiddo, I love you, you are already an amazing person. You will go further than I ever did, and I hope that you can always be a positive influence  on others. I know you will be/do anything you want, and that you will work hard to get it. I have seen how you are already very empathetic to others feelings and needs. That is a gift. You can make people happy by just smiling at them(plus you look like a jack-o-lantern right now) so don't stop being positive and you will go far.

Love, Dad.