I love my little girl.  I still call her “Little Girl.”  She’s now 14, as tall as her mother, and full of aspirations, new feelings, and visions of a coming future.

I remember when I first learned that my wife was pregnant.  I was stunned, scared, and in denial.  I could think of no way that this would work.  I was selfish, and still very much a boy (no matter what my biological age was then).  Never having had a father figure of any kind, I just couldn’t conceive that I could manage.  I was worried.  I didn’t know what to do.

The only experience I had with fathering was being the stepfather to my wife’s son.  He turned out to be a fine young man (that’s for another post), despite my attempts at fathering.

I remember when I learned that this new baby was going to be a girl.  I can…