#16thingsithoughtweretrue

Real life doesn't always need to be posted online.

You make me want to be a better person," he says softly. "To deserve you. I want you to know how right you feel to me.

In the back of my mind, I’m composing a tweet to make this funny somehow. Hashtag #awkwardparentmoments. It would probably trend on Twitter. I want to laugh at this to make the whole situation less real.

The girl starts crying even harder, but helpful posts in 140 characters or less don’t appear. Life should be more like Twitter.

But remember, if the world didn’t suck, we’d all fall off it.

Her gratitude warms my shivering insides. I forget the picture I could have posted and realize that it’s a gift. Real life doesn’t always need to be posted online. I can remember this moment without a photo.

I process that. I realize that the more I talk to people, the more I see everyone has something going on underneath the surface.

Dads are like noses, her tweet says. They’re always in your face. Dads aren’t like noses, I tweet back. You’re not allowed to pick them.

The girl I was before this trip is dead. I’m worried who will take her place. It frightens me. I’m afraid my bitterness is bigger and will never be contained. I’m not sure I want to meet the new me.

She embraces her inner weird and flies her freak flag with all she's got. And for once, I'm smart enough to see what a wonderful thing that is.