1. Love their mother…tell your wife how beautiful she is, how much you love her, and allow your girls to see PDA. Doing these things can set an example of the type of husband they will want and set a precedent in their mind of how a woman should be treated.
2. Make time to take your daughter on a “daddy/daughter date.”  This one-on-one time can be even more important if you have 3 or more kids. Use this time to talk about things that are going on in your daughter’s life, and things in which your daughter is interested (make it all about her). As she gets older this can be a great time to talk about values and morals.

3.  Tell her that she is beautiful…inside and out. This can help build her confidence.  You’ll always be the first man to let her know her beauty and worth…and that, to me, is invaluable.

4. Don’t limit her to ‘girly’ things.  Encourage her to do things that are normally viewed as boy stuff, e.g. watch (and actually enjoy) Star Wars, have light saber battles with her, play catch, let her help you with “manly” stuff, etc.

5. Be the person that she wants to comfort her when she is hurt (both physically and emotionally). This can strengthen the bond between you and her, which also giving her mom a break.

6. Let her see you get emotional and cry. Your daughter can realize that men don’t have to be macho and tough all the time, and should have the opportunity to see that it’s alright to be emotional sometimes.

7. Rough house with her. Show her how to wrestle and block finger pokes to her stomach.  Everyone knows that dads are the fun ones!!!!

Thanks to my husband for taking the time to put these habits of his into words and for sharing his obvious love for our three daughters.  

Daughters having a present and significant relationship with their fathers is crucial to their life happiness, well-being, and success! If you missed the “10 Things a Father Needs to Do With His Teenage Daughter, check it out here!

 

 

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