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My daughters are my pride and joy. I have been blessed with four beautiful girls, each of them immensely smart and talented, and as their father, the only thing I want for them is to be happy and successful. That’s why I want my daughters to know that when they grow up, they are free to pursue absolutely any career I force them into.
The world is changing, and women are at the forefront of that revolution. Fifty years ago, women were largely discouraged from being doctors and lawyers, but now the options for what career I can force on my daughters are wide open. I want my girls in jobs that will make them happy, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to railroad the lights of my life into those careers. My Jessica is in fifth grade, and I am actively encouraging her to explore every subject that fascinates her before I shuttle her off to medical school. Courtney has always been a bit of a free spirit, so I’ve already let her know that she can be any kind of geneticist she wants to be. Sophie’s math scores aren’t great, so she’s going to be a lawyer. For my girls, the only limits are the ones they set for themselves plus the ones I set for them.
My daughters are in charge of their own destiny I have set for them.
It brings a tear to my eye when I imagine myself sitting in the audience 14 years from now as my eldest daughter, Rachel, graduates from a top-five engineering doctorate program I’ve methodically pushed her into. It will be a testament to her hard work and my utter refusal to help pay for any program other than chemical engineering. She’s my daughter, after all, and she can do whatever I set my mind to. I make sure to tell her that every day.
My daughters are in charge of their own destiny I have set for them. They won’t just be going to college to find a husband, because they won’t be getting married until after 30. I refuse to allow their lives to be dictated by a man who is not me—this is how I feel, and how I’ve decided my daughters feel. I want them to live in a world where they are one day free to force their children into whatever they want, nothing less.
My girls are wonderful, brilliant beacons in my life, and ultimately, I only want the best for them. As long as they follow my preordained path, I’m confident that they will develop into the empowered and successful young women that I am requiring them to be. And that is every father’s dream.
