Fathers and Daughters
Redbook Magazine recently released an article, 15 Things All Dads of Daughters Should Know, taken from the Huffington Post, about the important relationship of men and their girls. Some men find it very difficult to freely love their daughters. Perhaps it’s based on the fact that from the time men are boys, they are interested in girls and attracted to them at some level. That is the basis of so many male-female relationships – attraction. So when the gears shift, and a man becomes a father, perhaps it’s a curve in the road he feels he needs to travel cautiously – it’s unfamiliar territory.
Unfortunately, many fathers opt for the detour and never really enjoy a close relationship with their daughters, cheating themselves and damaging their little girls.
See, girls need their dads.
There were a few points that really stood out in the article:
1. Girls Need to be Loved. We do. Everyone does, that is true, but the depth to which a girl believes/knows she is loved, drastically affects the way she sees herself and therefore, the decisions she makes.
2. A Father Has An Influence Over Her Future Partner. She will watch the way you treat her and her mother and other women and she will again take from it a sense of worth or come away with a deformed idea of herself. Treat her the way she deserves to be loved and honored and respected.
3. Make Memories With Her. When I was growing up, my dad used to pick me up from school for lunch dates. He would take me anywhere I wanted to go and would make me feel so special. He used to pack my lunches too and either write a note or put a vocabulary word of the day for me to learn. He traveled with me, taught me how to do “boy” things, like tie knots and build. He taught me to play tennis and how to drive and how to sail a boat. My father was a significant part of my life. He still is.
Take time with your daughter to make memories and show her she is loved and how a woman should be treated.
Consider a family yoga date night, with together time and then frozen yogurt or dinner. Take time to laugh, talk and make memories.
It’s never too late to start being the father you want to be.
Photo courtesy of the Huffington Post
