A couple of weeks ago I told you about taking my daughter up to visit Mizzou to watch the fighting Tigers play a home football game. It was a glorious day and weekend. I gave her a lot of freedom to look around without me looking over her shoulder or giving her to much adult advice. She loved it.

As soon as we returned to Dallas on Sunday she ran upstairs and applied to go to Mizzou. She was soooooo excited. Well and so was I. I loved my Mizzou experience. Even though I was a townie I had so much fun and learned a few things even while I was having fun.

So I headed out on a business trip to beautiful Utah and Colorado thinking all had been decided. I found out Sarah had been invited to go to Texas A&M for a game there that same weekend.

She went, she had a great time. Mizzou was playing the Aggies that weekend. It was a close fought game with the Aggies prevailing. After the game, which I watched in blissfully unaware in Colorado, I received a text message to the affect: “My Aggies beat your team”.

So, lo and behold she now wants to be an Aggie. Something about the “buff boys with short hair and the great traditions…”

So I bucked up my best Choices impression and said: “These are both great schools and wherever you want to go is fine. Because I think you will have a great experience at either place.” And just like that I was 0 for 2 of kids going to my alma mater.

But an Aggie she can be. And I will proudly wear the Aggie Dad sweatshirt.

A day or so after that bomb had been dropped on me, Sarah asked me to listen to a song. Suzy hearing this started to giggle.

Sarah said: “You know that I get to do a solo at review next spring, don’t you?” Well in the back of my mind I did remember that, so trying to act like too much of a dunderhead I nodded yes. She said then: “This is the song I want to play.”

Whereupon she started the Tim McGraw song: “My Little Girl.”

I was dead meat.

“Beautiful baby from the outside in,

Chasing dreams but always know the road that will lead you back again,

Going to take on this old world, but to me you will always be,

My little girl”

Now believe it or not I only shed a few tears that night. But boy I know when I see her on the stage doing her solo, knowing that may be the last time I see her dance quite like that…

I am dead meat. I am going to have to have a roll of Puffs to make it through that night.

Of course I am quite honored that she would do a song like this of which I have something, at least indirectly, to do with her choice. But the key to this song for my dear darling daughter is:

“Going to take on this old world…”

Because you see, Sarah previewed this for Suzy earlier in the weekend before I got home. Suzy said when she heard this she cried and cried. Even with that Sarah asked her if she thought everyone would cry, and Suzy said: “Yes”.

At which Sarah replied: “Good, that’s what I want is for everyone to cry.”

And, that’s my Aggie daughter. Whom I love dearly.