Dad, your daughter needs you.
More than anyone else, it is you who will set the course for your daughters life. She needs you. She needs your strength, your intelligence, your courage, your assertiveness, your self confidence and your leadership.
Dad, your daughter needs you.
Here are a few things your daughter wishes that you knew.
1. You are the most important man in her life.
Your daughters is never lukewarm in your presence. When you enter the room everything about her changes. Her eyes, her mouth, her gestures, her body language. You girl might take her mom for granted, but not you. She will light up - or she will cry. She watches you intensely. She hangs on your words. Whether you notice it or not, she is hoping for your attention, and she waits in frustration - or despair until she receives it. She is looking for a gesture of approval, a nod of encouragement, or even simple eye contact to let her know you care.
When she is in your company, your daughter tries harder to excel. When you teach her, she learns more rapidly. When you guide her, she gains confidence. I think if as fathers we fully understood just how profoundly we can influence our daughters life, we would be terrified and possibly overwhelmed by the weight of it. Boyfriends, brothers, and even husbands can't shape her character the way you do. You will influence her entire life because she gives you an authority that she gives no other man. You are the most important man that she knows.
2. You are her first love
Your daughter identifies easily with her mother, but you are a mystery to her. You are her first love. Because of this the early years of your relationship with her are crucial. The love you give her is her starting point to understanding what love actually is and how it is to be lived out. You have other loves in your life, but she doesn't. For better or worse, every man who enters her life will be compared to you; every relationship she has with a man will be filtered through her relationship with you. You are her father. You are her first love. You are the most important man in her life.
3. She wants a hero
When you were a little guy, people started asking you, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I'm sure your first thoughts were Football Star, Batman, Superman, Cowboy or a PoliceO Officer. When you were little, you wanted to be a hero. Well now you have that chance. Your daughter is looking for a hero ...and she is looking right at you.
Heroes persevere. Heroes protect. Heroes are faithful to their convictions. Heroes understand right from wrong and then always do what is right. Heroes are strong, humble, and larger than life!
When your daughter is born, she recognizes that your voice as deeper than her mothers. As a toddler, she looks up to your large frame and realizes that you are big, smart, and strong. In her grade school years, she instinctively turns to you for direction. And in her teenage years even though she may not show it, she is looking for you to stand strong in your convictions in the face of her rebellious heart.
Whatever outward impression she gives, her life is centered on discovering what you like in her, and what you want from her. She gives you authority because she needs you to love and adore her. Many times it is hard for her to truly feel good about herself until she knows that you feel good about her. Use your authority carefully. Your daughter doesn't want to see you as an equal. She wants you to be her hero. She wants you to be wiser, steadier, and stronger than she is.
She is looking for a hero ... and she is looking at you!
Special Note:
I have two daughters. At the posting of this blog. Mikayla is 18 and Lilly is 10. A few years ago my wife and I were at a bookstore and I picked up the book "Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters" by Meg Meeker. As I stood in the bookstore reading I knew this was a book that I had to get and apply. This blog is based from one of the chapters of Megs book. I highly recommend that you pick up a copy and start applying it today! Here is the link CLICK HERE TO ORDER