My daughter’s name is Becky — well, Rebekah.  I insisted that she be called Rebekah when she was born.  I dodn’t want anyone to call her Becky or Becca.  You can see where that got me.  Even I call her Becky now.  But I was staunch on the Becca thing.  For some reason, I don’t like that nickname.  Maybe it’s because when I see it I always think of Chewbacca (Becca is too close to the “bacca” part of Chewbacca).

Sometimes I look at my daughter and I am totally amazed at what an awesome human being she is.  I don’t mean that in a critical way; I mean I can’t believe how a couple of dingbats like Jim and I managed to successfully parent a child!  She has just the right amount of humility and the right amount of self-confidence.  She got good grades all through elementary and high school, and now she’s getting good grades in college.  She’s involved with a great deal of philanthropy through her sorority, in which she has a leadership position.  She has a small group of trusted friends and a huge appreciation for family.  She’s also got a great deal of empathy, which is very difficult to teach; it really just needs to come from within.

I can’t wait to see what the future holds for my daughter.  I can’t wait to see the kind of adult she becomes.  I know she will be successful.  She’s never been the kind of person where everything comes easy to her; she’s always had to work to get good.  And she’s got a good work ethic and she’s pretty tenacious.  With those qualities, my Becky Boo is going to make me proud!

Becky Boo and me at the 65 Roses Gala this past weekend in St. Louis