The Ballerina Dad

“AAAAAAAHHH” Aaron screeches in pure terror, staggered at what he see’s in the mirror.

His daughter Tabitha and his wife Samantha look at each other with concern and then together they run to Aaron, who’s in the master bedroom.

“Dad?” Tabitha inquires, busting into the bedroom with speed, “What’s wrong!?”

“I’m a…..G-G-G-G-G-GIRL,” Aaron howls, staring at himself in the mirror in pure disbelief.

Both Samantha and Tabitha look on in shock. Aaron is no longer Samantha’s husband or Tabitha’s dad, he’s metamorphosed into a four-foot-tall blonde girl with blue eyes—who looks about six years old. He or rather she is wearing pink ballet shoes, white tights, a pink leotard, a pink tutu, and a little crystal tiara. A far cry from the jeans and shirt he was wearing moments ago.

Tabitha, who’s dressed almost identically to Aaron, recovers the quickest. “You did say you’d come to practice with me. Now you can. We’ve got matching outfits—so cute!”

“I said I’d come,” Aaron replies, freaking out as he turns to face his daughter, “But as your dad, not like t-this!”

“Oh. Sorry,” Tabitha replies, bowing her head like she’s in trouble. Rubbing the back of her leg with the top of her slipper-clad foot, she asks, “Can you still come?”

“Can I come!?” Aaron exclaims. “ Are you joking! I’m so short and just look at what I’m wearing. I look like your younger sister. I-I…”

Finding her courage, Tabitha interrupts him and claps with excitement. “I think you look so super cute!”

Annoyed that he got cut off, Aaron has to look slightly up at his daughter, who’s now taller. Muttering to himself, he huffs under his breath. “I can’t be seen like this.”

“Oh, that’s right!” Tabitha smiles, drawing her mother’s attention back to her. “I made Daddy my little sister too,” she confesses, more than a little proud of herself.

Unable to look away from his adorable little face, Aaron continues to ramble. “I look so stupid and girly,” he complains, throwing a mini tantrum.

“ ‘Stupid!?’” Tabitha explodes, allowing her pent-up frustrations out for the first time. “Well,” she shouts loud enough for Aaron to stop and look directly at her. “You won’t change back until after practice, so you’re going to have to come with me as you’ve promised so many times before!”

Aaron looks at his daughter’s anger in stunned silence. Always the peacemaker of the family, Samantha gets down on one knee so that she was on the same level as Tabitha. “What do you mean? Did you turn Daddy into your little sister on purpose?”