Let me tell you a story about a guy I know.

Growing up, his dad worked two jobs and wasn't around the house much. When he was around, he was grumpy and would yell a lot, or generally be unpleasant, or would be asleep. This was commonly blamed on him being exhausted from working two full-time jobs.

One month, this guy had a birthday. He turned eight. Before the end of that same month, he woke up, had a normal day at school, and then went home only to have his sister come down the driveway to meet him, sobbing. You see, that morning, he woke up without a father and didn't even know it. Before he woke up, his dad had gone to work his morning job but didn't make it because a woman killed him with her car.

This guy I know has different memories of his father than the rest of his family. He's told me that most of his memories are negative. He also has problems socializing, anger, and difficulty being a parent himself. As a result, he has unhappy feelings about his father and doesn't know how to deal with it. He told me that he grew up scared of other kid's dads. Today, he seems to have trouble accepting any sort of authority.

What I derive from this is that just spending twenty minutes playing with your girl, no matter how cranky or exhausted you feel will make a world of difference in her heart. Also, life is terribly short (unless you're this guy who says that his life isn't short enough), and your influence on your daughter will also be short. Even if you don't suffer an early death, kids have a way of drifting as they become teens, where her friendships will become more important to her. So influencing her now, and showing her your love now is important because tomorrow is not guaranteed.

In fact, on a recent excursion, my child was nearly hit by a car while we crossed a crosswalk because a woman wasn't watching the road. Today isn't guaranteed either.

Life comes at you fast.

Homer Simpson works his job knowing that he is there forever, but he does it because he loves Maggie so much. So though you're exhausted, you do it for her.

And, fortunately, this is probably not permanent. The only thing that is permanent is change. All things change.

One of my children is also needy. I've had to set boundaries. A boundary for you might be to play on two or three set nights a week. Make it special. Give it a label. And when those nights come around, remember to give it your all because you're building a real relationship with your daughter.

Your feelings about playing amid your exhaustion might not get easier, but the relationship you have with your girl will. A health boundary and loving attention from her father just may foster healthy growth and a strong relationship.

Let me tell you a story about a guy I know.

Growing up, his dad worked two jobs and wasn't around the house much. When he was around, he was grumpy and would yell a lot, or generally be unpleasant, or would be asleep. This was commonly blamed on him being exhausted from working two full-time jobs.

One month, this guy had a birthday. He turned eight. Before the end of that same month, he woke up, had a normal day at school, and then went home only to have his sister come down the driveway to meet him, sobbing. You see, that morning, he woke up without a father and didn't even know it. Before he woke up, his dad had gone to work his morning job but didn't make it because a woman killed him with her car.

This guy I know has different memories of his father than the rest of his family. He's told me that most of his memories are negative. He also has problems socializing, anger, and difficulty being a parent himself. As a result, he has unhappy feelings about his father and doesn't know how to deal with it. He told me that he grew up scared of other kid's dads. Today, he seems to have trouble accepting any sort of authority.

What I derive from this is that just spending twenty or thirty minutes playing with your girl, no matter how cranky or exhausted you feel will make a world of difference in her heart. Also, life is terribly short (unless you're this guy who says that his life isn't short enough), and your influence on your daughter will also be short. Even if you don't suffer an early death, kids have a way of drifting as they become teens, where her friendships will become more important to her. So influencing her now, and showing her your love now is important because tomorrow is not guaranteed.

In fact, on a recent excursion, my child was nearly hit by a car while we crossed a crosswalk because a woman wasn't watching the road. Today isn't guaranteed either.

Life comes at you fast.

Homer Simpson works his job knowing that he is there forever, but he does it because he loves Maggie so much. So though you're exhausted, you do it for her.

And, fortunately, this is probably not permanent. The only thing that is permanent is change. All things change.

One of my children is also needy. I've had to set boundaries. A boundary for you might be to play on two or three set nights a week. Make it special. Give it a label. And when those nights come around, remember to give it your all because you're building a real relationship with your daughter.

Your feelings about playing amid your exhaustion might not ever change, but the relationship you have with your girl will. A health boundary and loving attention from her father just may foster healthy growth and a strong relationship.