When I first heard her heartbeat on the ultrasound, I became invulnerable. Nothing could bring me down.
When I held her head up because she couldn't when we sat on the couch, I had purpose.
When she rode on my shoulders on nighttime walks, she would awkwardly point and in some sort of halfway intelligible syllables would ask, "what's that." Those were my best teaching moments.
When she said I picked on her too much, I learned to try and see the world through her eyes.
Now she's off to college to start her adult life. Did I teach her well enough? Did I give her the tools to succeed? I guess if I still pay her cell phone bill, her call back to me to ask for help will be free for her.
Big changes for me, good changes for her. Words can't capture it all, but I think her deeds will.