Today is my oldest daughter’s birthday.

She turns 19, which means I’ve been someone’s dad for 19 years.

You’d think after 19 years I’d be pretty sure of myself but I often feel like I still have no idea what I’m doing.

Maybe I’ll reflect on what I believe to be my parental shortcomings another time…but for today we’ll celebrate my firstborn.

Today happens to be Yom Kippur - I don’t know exactly the rules around when that holiday falls, but it sometimes coincides with her birthday - and in fact, on 2006, my daughter was born on Yom Kippur.

That stands out to me because I had the day off from school - two consecutive October Mondays, and the time I took off from work was just 8 days because it was two four-day weeks.

Funny enough, this year I also took the day off from work because I wasn’t needed there and also to make myself available to take the family to the airport early in the morning.

They’re visiting her for her birthday, but I am going to Chicago next week so the timing wasn’t good for me to make the trip.

It’ll be the first time in her life I won’t see her on her birthday.

Hopefully I’ll get a FaceTime in.

And while I spend the day maybe doing a little yard work, getting a little writing done, I’ll certainly be thinking a lot about how lucky Kathy and I have been - three times - but for the first time on October 2, 2006.

And I guess, when you consider how great these girls are, maybe in between the parental shortcomings over the years I’ve had some pretty positive moments as well.