Sunday, October 23, 2005

Follow up to parenting by MSN Messenger

My daughter changed her quote.

I don't know if it was my influence or not, but today, when she logged on when I was online, her MSN Messenger quote had been changed. It was still a line from a lyric, or appears to be based on my online research, but it's not the Tenacious D song about a threesome with a reference to fucking to '70s music.

The new line appears to be out of a song called "Such Great Heights". My guess is my daughter is familiar with the cover version by Iron & Wine off the "Garden State" movie soundtrack, not the original by Postal Service. I'm not sure I could tell you which is which, although I have seen "Garden State" and actually bought the DVD of that movie that is now somewhere in my daughter's house.

Anyway, she changed the quote. And when we chatted online today I didn't mention the quote at all and made no reference to our conversation last night. And she talked, or typed, back. We had a nice little chat. And when I said I loved her she said she loved me too. So, maybe I'm not the highest ranking member of the shit list after all.


3 comments:

Stacy said...

The Postal Service version is actually quite popular amongst teenagers and young adults (it's in the background of every MTV show). The whole CD is fantastic. And, so is the Garden State soundtrack.

Tenacious D is quite vulgar, I'll agree with you, but I was singing the lyrics (and even attempting to play a few songs on the guitar) at the ripe age of 16. I didn't know quite was I was saying, but I really did enjoy their songs --and saw them in concert too. You may know one of the singers in the band as Jack Black (he's in Shallow Hal and other movies).

I understand that it might be difficult for you to parent over MSN, but I think you did a terrific job. I don't have the best relationship with my father, but it's not because he doesn't try (he probably would have done the exact same in your situation) --it's because I'm young and sometimes rebellious and he tries too hard to parent far too late.

Parenting is an uphill battle. I wish you the best of luck. And if you have questions about popular culture (music, movies, etc), I'm sure your visitors and I will try the best to answer them for you.

The G-man said...

Stacy,
Thanks for taking the time to comment. I appreciate it. And you hit the nail on the head with one of my biggest insecurities. I worry that my daughter will resent me for trying to be a parent too late in her life. Mostly, I leave the parenting to her mother. But I love my daughter no less than any parent does and feel the same hopes and fears and have the same dreams for her that all parents do, coupled with the fact that early in her life the opportunity to be a parent was taken away from me. Perhaps my daughter and I will never be more than something more akin to an uncle than a father to her. I want so much more and fear I will mess it up and have so much less. But more importantly I worry about her being happy and healthy and safe.

Anonymous said...

Your feelings make you a parent in every sense of the word G-Man. I'm glad that she listened to her dad. It speaks volumes about what a bright intellegent daughter you have as well. :-)
3T
PS. Thanks for the laugh yesterday!:-) I needed it.

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