Feb. 10, 2025 – There’s no denying it anymore. It’s winter. If you’ve ever had a teen daughter who recently got her license maybe you’ll appreciate some of the newfound stress winter seems to bring. I’m not a worrying type of dad. I was a young driver once. I drove into a snowdrift once. I spun out across the highway once (or twice). So far my three licensed teen daughters have done none of those things. I’m not sure what that says about my driving.
The girls were out at the church youth group last night and it was getting late. It was close to 11pm and honestly I was starting to wonder where they were. They’re usually home by 10:30. It was a windy winter night and I looked out the window a few times thinking I saw the van lights pulling into the driveway. Nope. No lights. My patient wife sent a text to one of the youth leaders to see if our girls had left yet. They had.
Then we saw the van lights. Through the trees at the end of our long driveway. Not moving. Actually, they were moving a little bit. A little bit forward and then a little bit backward. I began to laugh. They were stuck in a snowdrift at the end of the driveway. I was curious to see how this would end. Suddenly, the van lights went out and I heard doors slam. I suspected I would not be climbing into my warm bed to snuggle with my cute wife anytime soon.
The back door opened a moment later and two laughing teenagers came inside. They came bearing gifts. “Here, Dad, we thought we would give you this first before asking you to help with the van.” Joy, oh, joy. My own Amazon order they had picked up at the post office. I went to grab my coat.
The three of us trundled out to the end of the driveway in the blistering prairie winds. One of them grabbed a shovel. I’d use my expert driving skills and they could use their expert digging skills. They cleared out some of the snow and we gave it a shot. They pushed the front of the van as I tried to back out. Those all-season tires just couldn’t get the job done. More digging. More pushing. No moving. We switched jobs so I could do some digging and pushing while they did the driving. Same result. Still stuck. “Girls, it’s cold and dark. We’ll come back in the morning to get it out.”
I was sure to wake them up bright and early the next day. While they got dressed I went outside with the shovel and got to work. Light makes jobs so much easier. I could see where the snow was piled up under the van and dug for a few minutes. Hopped in the van and backed right out on the first try. I could almost hear the shouts of jubilation in the house as I pulled up. They were just getting snowpants on as I walked back in the door. “Thanks, Dad.”
Winter will be around a bit longer, dad. Why not grab your winter gear and head outside to make a fort with the kids? Time flies! Make every moment count! Even the windy, wintery ones!
Jason Weening just published a new book, “Yes, Dear…I’m Watching Them” all about the injuries and adventures of dadhood. Get it on Amazon!