Great question Steve!
My dad is my hero. he is the man I look up to the most in my life. He wasn't around much when I was growing up b/c he was so busy working to build a life for his family that I rarely got to spend time w/ him.
With that said, every night he came home from work, he told me a bed time story about my life in Thailand and his life growing up as a kid and what it was like living where we came from. I learned through those stories to appreciate the things he was doing for me. Every moment that he had to be with me, my dad made sure that he spent it with me, whether it was travelling, fishing, or just taking a walk.
You don't have to tyr hard w/ kids Steve. Little girls lovetheir daddy's and the smallest things will mean the world to her and she'll love you and remember them for the rest of her life. You're lucky that at age 7 she is vocal enough to tell you that. I never told my dad but he knew what he had to do as a father.
It's amazing what a trip to the mall will teach you about your daughter or a hike in the woods.
Good luck I'm sure you'll do just fine
