Bedtime, Jet Lag and Wondering

“Any fool can be a father, but it takes a real man to be a daddy.”

–     Philip Whitmore, Sr.

I fear that I’ve been more fool than real man for the last year.

I hope it was corrected, at least a bit, this last week on Spring Break.

And, nothing will test my theory more than jet lag and bedtime and an almost 8-year-old who doesn’t care much for either of them.

Heck, she doesn’t much care for bedtime when she’s in a routine — and she really hates it when she’s “out of whack.”  And, after a week with a 4-5 hour time difference, a 10-hour flight home and a day with nothing to do but kill time, she is out – of – whack.  Big time.

So, what would a difference maker — a real daddy — do?

Try to convince a little princess that bedtime is no big deal?  Try to discipline her in to understanding that everyone else needs their sleep, too, and that she’s not helping that mission?  Try to reason with her that all her theories on why she can’t go to sleep are silly?

Or, simply check on her every few minutes, lay with her, comfort her and just try to be a daddy, at the expense of being a father?

Gotta go upstairs.