Being Betsy's Dad

My daughter Betsy turned 8 this week.

She is truly my favorite person. My wife will say the same thing.

I am proud of my daughter, and even more of myself.

I made it. I did it. I am taking a victory lap.

Parenting is like improv: You learn by doing, and it's the mistakes that makes you better, which I continue to make in all areas of my life.

I have gotten a lot of help along the way. So, thank you to everyone who continues to give me parenting advice.

I have loved being Betsy's dad. She can be kind, and silly. She also cannot listen and be defiant. She is a kid. She can find joy by picking up a stick on the sidewalk. She gets excited for her birthday or by a song she learned at camp. These are the things I will miss as she grows up and starts to deal with the anxiety of being a teenager. 

As the clock ticks down in her childhood, I am realizing this is a special time, and I am glad I have gotten to be part of her life this far.

But it’s the small moments that I will remember the most.

The other day, I was playing Barbies in the basement, and she gave me the nicest compliment. "I like playing Barbies with you, because you get down on the floor. You just don't get up."

I am like Michael Jordan the last year when he played for the Bulls and he could not jump as high or run as fast as he had when he was younger, so he had to play smarter. I do the same things with Barbies.

Thank you, Betsy, for coming into our life. You have brought a lot of joy to me over the last 8 years.

Want to take your improv skills to the next level this summer? Don't miss Jimmy's next Long Form Tune-Up, happening on Aug. 10. Sign up today!