Glad You're Here: A Love Note to My Youngest Daughter on Her 17th Birthday
By Scott Beller
Daddying Editor and Associate Dir, Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F)
You were just a few weeks old when Mom and I brought you with us to drop your big sister off for her first day of Young 2s preschool. A few years later, you walked with us to the bus stop to see her off on her first day of kindergarten. Last year, you joined us for the six-hour haul to Syracuse and her first day at college.
After saying reluctant goodbyes to your sister, it has always been a blessing to return home with you to play, laugh, cuddle, teach, and learn even more from just being with you. You've always kept our days and hearts filled.
Now we've reached the precipice of another important first day of school, and it's bittersweet. Your senior year of high school begins next week, the day after your 17th birthday. While both those events fill me with excitement, my psyche is shaken by each tick of the clock I feel counting down to the day we'll return to a home without you in it.
This final year of high school gives me yet another chance to reminisce about the long days we've spent together since you arrived. A chance to appreciate how very lucky I am to have been here to witness every milestone and to have played a positive role in your everyday life.
Don't get me wrong, I know the future holds so much more for you, but I long to freeze time. To not let this last school year with you at home commence. I think it's a big reason why I've taken so many photos of you and your sister. Those captured moments are my safety net for a lifetime of memories I don't want to slip away.
Even with the photos, I may not be able to remember the exact dates and details of everything we've shared over the years, but I will never forget the pure joy I've experienced being here with you – and for you. From mealtimes to diaper changes, naptimes to bath times, preschool to high school, Odyssey of the Mind to soccer, Basketball to pickleball, Raising Nerd review assistance to Earthday lessons, Yearbook photography to mystery reader moments, summer road trips to international adventures, stadium concerts to Red Sox pennant chases, the past 17 years has been all highlights (and some championship hardware!) when I've been with you, home or away.
Exhilarating or exhausting, I love every minute of being your Dad. Happy birthday, sweet girl. I can't wait to see what senior year holds for you – now go crush it!
Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F)
The Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F) 2027 Call for Entries keeps rolling all summer long on FilmFreeway! Students (3rd grade-undergrad), Dads, Granddads, Moms, Grandmoms, dad figures, Parenting Podcasters, Musicians, and indie filmmakers can submit films, videos, and podcast episodes through November 23, 2026!
Since 2022, we've received submissions from 60+ countries and we're excited to present another amazing collection of the best daddying stories submitted by students, Dads/dad figs, Moms, and indie filmmakers from around the world! Check the D3F website or our FilmFreeway page for more inspiration, submission details, and Atticus Award winning films from previous years!
SAVE THE DATES: The 6th annual, virtual Daddying Film Festival will take place on Eventive, January 11-20, 2027, and our LIVE Daddying Film Forum, at American University in Washington, DC, will screen select Atticus Award winners and finalists, January 29-30, 2027.
Scott Beller is the proud, imperfect crew Dad of two teen, mighty girls, imperfect partner of their rock-star regatta mom, a truth teller, purveyor of banned books, former youth soccer coach, championship basketball coach, retired part-time driving instructor, late-night filmgoer, Editor of the Daddying blog, Director of Communications for DCG and Associate Director of the Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F). He's a seasoned writer and PR agency veteran with more than 35 years of experience helping organizations of all sizes and individuals reach audiences and tell their stories. Prior to launching his own creative communications consultancy in 2003, he led PR teams with some of the world’s most respected agencies, including The Weber Group and Fleishman-Hillard. As a consultant, he’s helped launch two other parenting advocacy nonprofits with DCG founder Allan Shedlin, REEL Fathers and Dads Unlimited. His first book, Beggars or Angels, was a ghostwritten memoir for the nonprofit Devotion to Children's founder Rosemary Tran Lauer. He is formerly known as "Imperfect Dad" and Head Writer/Editor for the Raising Nerd blog, which supports parents in inspiring the next generation of scientists, engineers, and creative problem solvers. He earned his BA in Communications from VA Tech so many years ago. You can follow him and his frequently salty language on Instagram and BlueSky.
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