Two Daughters -

As one may have noticed from our previous posts, Tammy and Frank have two daughters...Allison and Kendall. Allison, will be 14 in September and is a freshman in high school. A child no more, but not yet an adult.
Kendall is 2, will be 3 in December, and is full of energy and vitality, starting to explore the world, and test the boundaries.
Frank has recently started to try and strengthen the relationship he enjoys with his daughters...he realizes that these two are actually a gift from God that are his and Tammy's responsibility to raise and nurture, to laugh with, to comfort when they're crying, to do the homework with, to tuck in at night, to love.
As you may imagine, the two are vastly different...13 and 2 year olds generally don't share a lot of similarities. Allison is wanting to do more adult-like activities...walking, learning golf, chat on Facebook (R)...but yet, still wants the other things...playing with her DS or mom's blackberry, watching TV, just chillin' with a book.
Kendall, on the other hand, has other activities. Explore everything and anything she can get her hands on; watch TV with a bowl of cereal in her lap and a cup of apple juice in her hand; and sometimes, just fall asleep in the arms of mom or dad.
Frank cherishes the time he gets with both of his daughters. It challenges him, especially when the transition between the two is quick. How do you go from doing Algebra homework to cuddling a two year old in the recliner as she drifts off on her afternoon nap? This is a challenge for the parents of these two on a daily basis.
Frank realizes that all-too-soon, Allison and Kendall will be adults. He remembers the days when Allison, herself only 2 or 3 at the time, would cuddle up in his lap and fall asleep while watching something on TV. He remembers that day, and it seems as though it was yesterday, when Allison started kindergarten. She, eager to go, Frank and Tammy holding back that lump in their throats. Or, the day they put her on a bus to camp...again, another stepping stone to her maturity, only to go shopping for baby items, as they had just discovered they were to begin the adventure again with Kendall in a few short months.
Frank watched the eulogies delivered by the sons of Ted Kennedy yesterday. Frank was struck by the fact there here was a man, a political powerhouse, who found time to be a father to two sons that had challenges of their own...one, lost a limb to bone cancer, the other, struggled with asthma. But, as the two sons spoke, Frank was struck by the compassion and tenderness describing how Kennedy helped the two cope with their limitations. How he coaxed them on, to overcome, to succeed. Even while being arguably one of the most powerful legislators in American history, while seeking the office of president, while assuming the title of patriarch of a family following the deaths of several siblings and family members, this man found time to be a father.
Now, let it be said, Frank is not a fan of the political traditions espoused by Ted Kennedy. But, as he and Tammy watched the first pit-fire of the year last night, they spoke how even though they didn't agree with Kennedy politically, they admired the man for being committed to his convictions. He never waivered from the core values he believed in and fought for.
But, isn't that all that fathers can hope to do? To be true to their own core values? To raise our children with those values, and strength with which to face the challenges put before them? To coax and love, to challenge and be there to pick them up when they fall? To give them as many of the tools as possible to succeed?
Not an easy job to be a parent. But a job Frank wouldn't trade for all the riches in the world.