Remembering daughters at Valentine’s

Years ago I used to write a business column for the newspaper that I worked for more than 47 years.

Primarily, it dealt with what present businesses were doing, when new businesses were opening up, that sort of thing.

It really was a business briefs type column.

Shortly after our daugh- Meghan was born, I wrote one centering on how my wife and I now were in “the baby business.” It told about how our lives and routines had changed so abruptly. It mentioned how new we were to all of it, but it also indicated really how serious this business is.

For those of you who have children, whether small, in their teens or they are adults and are having their own kids, you know what I mean about it being serious business.

We learned quickly that it’s a full-time job. A child becomes the priority once he or she enters this world. Parents see how quickly their priorities change.

I’ll never forget those first few weeks that included sleep deprivation, long days and short nights, and everything that goes on in one’s life with a new baby.

Work outside the home may have been the top priority. Now our daughter had become the focus of our lives, keeping in mind the day and night job still had to have my undivided attention as well.

I must give credit where it’s due. My wife Pat was the one who really focused on making sure that every little need of Meghan’s was handled. I played my part, I think, but there were times my job as a newspaper editor got in the way of being with Meghan and Pat when I should have been.

I have had strong regrets about that for many years now.

No matter how old Meghan gets, we never forget her birthday. She’s been the delight of our lives. And even though she is married, and they have our grandson Liam, she still calls us as she needs us, especially her mom.

A week ago today, Meghan had a birthday. While we were unable to be with her, we texted and called her.

Last Saturday my wife able to spend most of the day and early evening with her and the grandson, shopping, going to lunch and hanging out. I had a church commitment that evening and couldn’t join them.

Looking back on it, I should have spent more time with our daughter and not put so much on my wife, especially in Meghan’s early and preteen years.

Pat and I were fortunate. Meghan never gave us any trouble. She did really well in school while growing up, she earned a college education and became successfully employed within a couple of months after earning a Bachelor’s degree.

She followed in my footsteps, choosing to major in journalism. Her first two jobs were with newspapers larger than I had ever worked for and that experience and background proved helpful as she later branched out into different areas.

My wife and I experienced the emotions of her leaving home when she took that first job at Lawton with the daily newspaper. We’ll never forget that Friday morning when she drove away.

What I learned, too, just because Meghan left the nest, doesn’t mean that she wasn’t still attached to us, just in a little different way.

On her wedding night at the reception, when I had that “dad’s dance” with her, I whispered in her ear that even though she was now married, not to forget “you always will be my little girl.”

No matter how old she gets, she will always be that.