My 6 year old niece makes a point of giving her father hugs and kisses with a frequency usually reserved for young, new loves. It makes sense since this love is her first of many, and the one that will teach her about loving and being loved.
At 37 years old facing being 40, and still single, I am amazed if not a little jealous. Not for my niece's affections, but because I never had that relationship with my own father. I usually answer questions about him with a simple retort that we no longer speak; and I rarely mention that I have half-siblings.
My half sister sent me a friend request on Facebook right before the holidays. I allowed the request to sit dormant as I contemplated what it would mean to be in contact with the woman that my father lovingly raised when he walked away from my life. Accepting my half-sister's friend request leaves me wondering about the what ifs in my own life.
I look around me and I can't help but notice that the majority of my married friends were raised in two parent homes or with very involved fathers. I heard a comedian say that he tells his daughter that she'll know real love when she meets a man who loves her as much as her daddy does.
If our fathers are our first great loves, what happens if we never have that "first" great love affair, and how do we know know real love if daddy didn't show it.
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