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Do you have a daughter? If you do, you understand how precious they are. Whether they’re hugging Minnie Mouse at Disney, dance recitals, her first day at kindergarten or trying on Mom’s clothes, little girls are always special to Daddy.

And then, before you know it, they grow up. Fast. Really fast.  It was just yesterday (or so it seemed) that our daughter talked about how much she enjoyed junior high school. Her seventh grade teachers were all very special and the big school was so neat.

Wait a minute. That wasn’t yesterday. That was more than five years ago. And now, she’s a young lady, less than a week from starting her college life at Ohio State University. THE Ohio State University. Wow. The campus is a lot bigger than her junior high school and all other schools she attended combined. In fact, OSU is bigger than our hometown of Springboro. Well…Perhaps it just seems that way.

At $25,000 per year, OSU isn’t cheap. But a combination of  scholarships have reduced the cost, and with travel time only about 90 minutes to the campus, it’s a lot better than when I lived in Harrisburg (Pa) and went to Miami University instead of Penn State or Pitt. I don’t think my parents ever forgave me for that.

Her high-school years just flew by. Not that long ago, I was coaching her 5th-grade basketball team. And yet, just a few months ago, we were watching her deliver one of the commencement speeches at her high-school graduation. The graduation parties are over. Her part-time job, that she so very much enjoyed, has just about ended, and the constant reminder that I need to fill her car with gas, is going to stop. And I’ll miss all of them.

I assumed packing for the short jaunt would be easy. Her room isn’t tiny, but it’s not 1000 square feet either. Actually, it’s less than 200 square feet and a roommate will be joining her. We have three SUVs and surely one would be enough to transport her belongings. That was a wrong assumption. We might be able to fit everything in two vehicles. And a U-Haul. And a small motor-home.

I own about 15 t-shirts. She has 50. I have eight  great pairs of shoes. She has 800. My shaver kit can hold all the essentials I need for an extended trip. She needs a suitcase just for those types of things. Ok…I am embellishing a bit. I just hope I’ll be able to see out of any of the car windows when we head to Columbus. But I do know that her Ohio State student health insurance options have been discussed with her. Of course, as her father and broker, that was easy!

But the point of this short story is simple. When your friends and relatives tell you that “kids grow up fast,” they aren’t kidding. These 18 years just flew by too fast. They were enjoyable and we loved every minute of her living in the house 12 months out of the year. Now, it’s down to about three months out of the year.

And what will happen if she decides to stay in Columbus for part of the summer? Or perhaps the entire summer? Then we will only see her Thanksgiving, Winter Break and a few other weekends. What a revolting development.

Wait a second! Wait a second! I have the solution. Although we can’t move to Columbus, we could visit on weekends. Every weekend. Surely, our daughter would enjoy that. Wouldn’t she?

UPDATES:

August 2013 – We’re back from Columbus and our daughter is nestled in her room, preparing for upcoming classes and getting ready for the arrival of her roommate. The dormitory is new and the Resident Assistants were nice enough to put everyone’s names on the door (two persons per room) before they arrive.

As I walked down the hall, I noticed something strange. It was the name plates that I was seeing on the doors. There was Jack and Mike. Peter and Lawrence. Jeffrey and Rahul.  Ben and Phillip. WAIT A MINUTE! What about Jennifer and Debbie? Or Lisa and Samantha? Something didn’t seem right!

Finally, I did find an Abbie and Rachel sticker on one of the doors, and I assume there were a few more females throughout the corridor. I felt better. A lot better. Ohio State University is a great college. I never had a doubt.

December 2015 – So much as happened in the last two years. Our daughter is thoroughly enjoying her OSU experience and actively interviewing for several summer internships with large respected corporations. She changed her major from Communications to Economics, which has worked out quite nicely.

And of course, the Buckeyes won the National Championship a few years ago. Perhaps Urban Meyer will give her a reference!

December 2016 – No National Championship last year, but the Bucks made it to the Championship Round this year, and will face Clemson in a few weeks. Our daughter will graduate in the Spring and has already been offered employment with a prestigious financial institution upon graduation. Yes, we are very proud of both of our children.