You know, Dad, there was a time when we were not only separated by the generation gap but completely polarized by it. You stood on one side of the Great Divide and I on the other, father and daughter split apart by age and experience, opinions, hairstyles, cosmetics, clothing, curfews, music, and boys.

The Father-Daughter Duel of ’54 shifted into high gear when you taught me to drive the old Dodge and I decided I would drive the ‘54 Chevy whether you liked it or not. The police officer who escorted me home after you reported the Chevy stolen late one evening was too young to understand father-daughter politics and too old to have much tolerance for a snotty 16 year old. You were so decent about it, Dad, and I think that was probably what made it the worst night of my life.

Our relationship improved immensely when I married a man you liked, and things really turned around when we begin making babies right and left. We didn’t have a television set, you know, and we had to entertain ourselves somehow. I didn’t know what to expect of you and Mom as grandparents but I didn’t have to wait long to find out. Those babies adored you then just as they adore you now. When I see you with all your grandchildren, I know you’ve given them the finest gift a grandparent can give. You’ve given them yourself.

爸爸，您也知道，我們父女倆曾有一段時間因為代溝不在一起過，比如年齡、個人閱歷、觀點、發型、化妝、服裝、音樂、作息時間以及男朋友，因為這些，我們的觀點也非常對立。您站在“大分離”的一端，我站在“大分離”的另一端。

那時，您教我學開那部道奇舊車，可我卻不管您喜歡不喜歡執意要開雪拂蘭’54那輛車。當時，我們父女倆關于雪拂蘭汽車的爭執也調到了最高擋。可那天晚上，您卻報警說雪拂蘭車被盜。之后，一個警官把我護送到家，可他太年輕了，根本不明白我們父女倆之間的政治斗爭，可他也不小了，對一個16歲的流鼻涕的小孩卻沒有太多的耐心。爸爸，您倒對這件事處理得很體面，而我想那可能是我一生中最糟糕的一個夜晚吧。

在我嫁了一個您喜歡的女婿后，我們倆之間的關系才緩和了好多。后來，我們為了好好地生個孩子，就離開了，我們之間的那些事情也就結束了。這事您也知道，我們沒有電視機看，我們就只好自娛自樂了。我不知道我還能對作為外公外婆的您和媽媽抱什么期望，但是，不要等到很久我就會找到答案。過去那些孩子熱愛您，現在他們還像以前那樣熱愛您。當我看見您和您的外孫在一起的時候，我知道您都已經給了他們最好的禮物，您把心都掏給他們了。