There is a special feeling you get playing hide and seek as an adult.

And it’s not embarrassment.

There’s also a special feeling you get when you bust out Olivia Rodrigo lyrics with your 14 year old daughter.

Again, not embarrassment.

It’s actually the exact opposite.

It’s confidence.

Because that’s what daughters do.

They bring out the dad in you.

The confident dad. The goofy dad. The anti-fashionable dad.

Sometimes it’s not by choice. (Those tucked in sweaters just sneak up on you).

But they make you comfortable to be you. (The daughter, not the sweater)

And I’ll say it.

I’m a girl dad.

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Andy from The Office said, “I wish there was a way to know you’re in ‘the good old days,’ before you left them.”

I know I’m there now.

And it’s because of the people I’m around.

It’s because of the people I get to teach. The kids I get to coach.

And it’s because 3 years ago, I met two girls who played on the high school team I coach, who changed the way I think about connection. And we could all use a little change sometimes.

These girls are sharp, level headed, funny, smart, genuine and great people to be around.

They are queens of sarcasm and have hearts of gold. In my eyes, the two best qualities a person can have. They keep things exciting. They keep me on my toes. And around them, I never get bored.

Plus they have a thing for the song All Star.

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I’ve coached a girls’ golf team for 15 years.

And we’ve made it to the State Tournament one time.

We weren’t even supposed to make it, but some of my girls had a career round and the stars aligned.

We take the best 4 of 6 scores for two separate days.

And our score was the lowest.

To say we were shocked would be an understatement.

And I had one little 7th grader who was most shocked of all. And nervous. And freaking out… because she didn’t want to play.

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I was a dorky kid.

I didn't really know it at the time....and by the time I figured it out, I really didn't care.

I was quiet. I played the saxophone (faked it my first two years!). I didn't like playing video games, but I could memorize the Legend of Zelda map and loved doing stats while my friends played old school (not old at the time) baseball. I had some close friends, but not a ton of them. I flew under the radar for most of my days in school.

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I was a quiet kid.

I usually kept to myself.  Sure, I had a few friends, but I wasn't the outgoing, talk to everyone type.

When my friends weren't around, I'd play Legos and built blanket forts.  I'd play basketball by myself in the driveway creating fictional teams with made up players.  (Aristotle Jenovosi was 8 feet tall and Mitch Culpit never missed a 3).

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I bought a t-shirt at Target that said World’s Greatest Dad.

For myself.

5 years before I had kids.

Maybe it was my mom’s influence of never passing up a deal.

Seriously, she’d buy shoes in sizes nobody in my family wore because it was a good deal.

“Mom, I don’t wear size 12.”

“I know. I’ll find someone that does. It was such a good deal.”

Or maybe, this World’s Greatest Dad t-shirt was foreshadowing. Because one day, I knew I’d have to step up, do the right thing, and be everything my kids would want me to be.

Which brings us to the Daddy Daughter Dance of 2018.

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I have a magic hat.

No rabbits, no handkerchiefs... but pure magic.

When I was 8, I got a magician's set for Christmas.  It came with the usual items... and a plastic, black top hat.  And since I'm a Skavnak, there was no way this hat was fitting on my dome.

So I put golf balls in it.

I didn't play golf at the time, but at Breezy Point (in Minnesota), I'd ride with my dad while he played.  Instead, I searched for golf balls in the woods.

I found a lot of things in those woods... golf balls, bottles, trash, lymes disease (oh, wait, that was last year).

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Keep your head up.

Think positive.

Chin up.

I heard this all the time growing up.

2Pac even made a song about it.

When things don’t go your way, keep your head up. There are good things coming.

And I believed it.

Then I started golfing.

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My best teacher was my mom.

She taught me about manners, and generosity, and treating others kindly. She taught me how to play 500 (she was a rockstar at that game), how to make ice cream pie, and how to do laundry. She taught me how to pray, how to talk to others, and how to sing incorrect song lyrics. Seriously, I still don’t know what a heebeejeebee is.

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Before you go to bed tonight, do The Trifecta for yourself. (unless you hate being happy)

Here's the story...

In our household of golf pros and weirdos, we're a little different.

Especially at story time.

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My 6 year old is in a rut.

He's in the perfectionist stage of his life.

He's never wrong. He never loses. He never screws up.

People aren't allowed to be better than him. He's happy when he wins, but when he loses....

Well. He doesn't know how to handle it quite yet.

That's the key word. Yet.

And that's where my job comes in.

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I am not a fan of snow.

It makes driving difficult, messes up the sidewalks, and makes my socks all wet.

Sure, it looks pretty when it shines in the sun, but so does Kristen Bell, and I don't see her chilling in my front yard all winter.

But snow does make me remember.

Especially to the winter of 2005.

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My students and I are like a family.

We support each other, we rag on each other, and we go to Buffalo Wild Wings together.

This isn't a Wild Wings story, but it's just as good.....

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