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The ‘date’ with my daughter
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I just returned from the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) meeting in Providence, R.I. I spent 4 wonderful days with my daughter Mary. If you have never brought just one child to a meeting, I strongly suggest to do so. My wife, Marie, and I are blessed with delightful 18-year-old twin daughters. When it came time to register for the annual AOSSM meeting, I thought ‘my daughters are soon to start college – this is a wonderful opportunity to spend some real quality time with one of them.’ My wife couldn’t make the trip and our other daughter, Ann, had a job which did not lend itself well to time off. When it came time to ask Mary to accompany me on the trip, she was excited at the prospect of spending 4 days with her dad in a town she knew little about.
When we arrived, Mary made it clear that she was to be ‘low maintenance’ and that I was to attend whatever lectures I wished to attend. She stated that she would be ‘just fine’ whenever I was not around.
The lesson
Soon after I attended my first series of lectures, I realized that the lectures would always be there … but the opportunity to be with my daughter was more precious. I realized that I had the chance to forge some unforgettable memories with my ‘little girl’ and that I could always later hear another lecture on double-bundle ACL reconstruction. I decided to essentially make Mary the priority of the extended weekend. We proceeded to map out a list of fun activities’ which included a trip to Newport, a visit to an art museum and informal tours of both the Brown and Rhode Island School of Design campuses.
We had a blast; furthermore, the downtime afforded us the opportunity to engage in some very thoughtful conversations. In time, my daughter and I felt a closeness which we had not experienced for several months. It was especially memorable for Mary to be away from her sister when they both go off to college this Fall. Every child yearns for attention from their parent. There was no twin sister to dilute the experience. The one-on-one attention affirmed to my daughter just how important she was to me.
The lectures can wait … but your children can’t. The opportunities to spend time with your children are just too precious to pass up. Besides, everything I need to know was on the zip drive found in my registration packet.
Next meeting try the one on one ‘date’ with one of your children. Your conference experience will never be the same.