Last night I was speaking to my 12 year old daughter. She was feeling very talkative and I was loving it. No iPad around, no iPhone in hand, just a convo while I was driving.
Her topic of discussion: her father. Now I’m not here to bash him but I will speak facts.
Her father has never been actively in her life. He has his moments where he calls consistently for like a week or two but then falls off. He has random times where he will call to drop off food for her. He will also randomly call and ask to take her with him on certain weekends but then there are times where he will call, say he’s coming, and then goes MIA.
It’s a terrible cycle and I have hated it for forever. I have been told to cancel him out because what he’s doing is toxic but I always felt like if he’s asking to see her why not. Plus my daughter does enjoy seeing her other side of the family which is what drives her to even want to go with him.
Well last night she was telling me how she wishes she knew what it feels like to have a dad. She acknowledges her stepdad and her grandpa (my dad) but still wonders about having her own dad. She said she doesn’t envy anyone else but she does wonder what she’s missing.
Now if you know me you know I wanted to ball up and cry. I definitely feel guilty about who I decided to sleep with and who I decided to make a baby with (whether planned or not). But instead of crying or making excuses for her father, I decided to keep listening but then took the opportunity to explain some things to her which I will breakdown at the end.
I also want to add that my parents and I never openly spoke about sex. We never spoke about relationships. All I can remember hearing growing up from my dad was to be with someone on my level and/or someone who had goals and aspirations and was doing something to achieve them. When I had Jen I told myself I wanted to be open with my daughter. I wanted us to be able to speak about any and everything regardless of what it was.
All of this led to my input in last night’s conversation:
When thinking about having sex for the first time, be smart. You only get to lose your virginity once and you want it to be with someone you trust and care about. This also doesn’t mean you will be together forever but you want someone who will respect you and when you think back at that moment you aren’t ashamed or full of regret.
When you get older and having kids comes up, know who you are having a baby with. Get to know that person, their family, and address what it will mean to bring another life into this world. It may not always work out but it may help to establish a healthy coparenting relationship if needed.
Just wait, there is no need to move fast and grow up fast. Everything has its time and the more mature you are the better you will be able to make decisions. (I had my daughter when I was 20 and that was far from a mature age to make this decision – my opinion).
Now to some this may be a lot and you may wonder why the heck I would say these things to my child. But the beauty of having your own kids is you getting to choose how to raise your own kids. It may not be perfect but it definitely gives me a good feeling knowing my daughter is comfortable speaking to me about topics like these.
Key takeaways: Know your partner and learn them. This will help you both decide if having kids together will work. Also talk to your kids. In this age of social media, wouldn’t you rather talk to them about sensitive topics instead of having Instagram or TikTok teach them?
NOTE: This is not parenting advice. I’m just a momma who wants and tries to do her best each and everyday in this crazy world we live in.
Marce's View 