When my daughter was little, Sunday was Daddy-Daughter Day. Typically, we would go to a park and then have lunch before heading home. Sometimes, we would go shopping or wash the car—time together was the most important thing. One Sunday, we went downtown to stroll around Centennial Olympic Park. The only plan was to pass the time. When we arrived at the park, she saw children playing in the fountain and decided she HAD to go in. Since I had not planned for this, she had no swimsuit, so I nixed the fountain idea. Her disappointment was obvious, though she said nothing more. Of course, I felt horrible as she watched the other kids screaming with unbridled joy, running through the spraying water. Then I had an idea. There were street vendors selling all sorts of memorabilia, including clothing such as shirts and shorts. I called my wife to find out what sizes she wore, then told her she could go in the fountains wearing what she had on.
At first, she was skeptical, but then I explained that I would buy her a new set of dry clothes from the vendors. Instantly, she perked up, and we picked out a shirt, shorts, and a pair of flip-flops. For the next hour or so, she splashed gleefully in the fountain. There is nothing like seeing your little girl go from disappointment to exhilaration. Having burned off all her excess energy, she climbed into the car’s back seat and changed into her new clothes, hiding under a blanket I kept for picnics. We had a wonderful day!
