I have this friend Fred, whose parents were about 40 when he was born. In an apparent act of hubris, I didn’t have my child until I was a decade older than that.
I suppose the advantage of having a child “later” in life is that I suppose I am more patient. Hey, I’m not saying totally cool, but better than if I’d been younger.
One cool thing is that I get to hear music I might not have heard. Some of it I even like.
I get her perspective on the issues of the day. She’s been watching the news since she was nine. Of course, she now consumes in a manner that I generally don’t, on the phone. She is savvy enough to ask what of it is real and what is bogus.
Issues such as Black Lives Matter, and race generally, are of great interest to her. She’s passionate about helping others, participating in a monthly food drive. Saving the earth is very important, and she can cite statistics about how much more environmentally damaging meat is. She’s almost entirely a vegetarian.
We often have similar sensibilities. She and I enjoy bananas far less ripe than my wife does. Our sense of time is about the same. I’m the one she’ll usually tell certain stories about school experiences.
Torture
On the other hand, she knows there’s a lot of current mundane pop culture stuff that my brain simply refuses to absorb. So she’ll learn it and then test me on it.
Her current torture involves the Kardashians. Who are they, what are their kids’ names, etc.? For instance, she has told me, that the father of Khloe Kardashian’s baby True is Tristan Thompson. Then 15 minutes later, I won’t remember which Kardashian is a parent to which child. I don’t care, she knows I don’t care, and she has great fun with it.
It’s a joy to be her dad. But don’t tell her I said so.