Women are the core of our society. They influence our character, values, actions, and health at home and work. The extraordinary work of building this core starts with Dad. How do you as a Dad help build that amazing core and framework for our society?
Women also deal with a tremendous amount of change in their bodies and minds as they age. The hormonal changes effect them Men have it easy when it comes to their bodies. It is also difficult for men to fully appreciate what a woman goes through. However, Dads have a lot of incentive to understand their daughters from all anglers because our daughters wear our hearts on their sleeves. and we have a strong motivation to give their daughters a happy and blissful life.
Start by having a great relationship with your daughter. Here are 100 reasons why Dads should have a great relationship with daughters :
10 Things Every Man Should Know About a Woman’s Brain
Reason #1: Dads want an Extraordinary life for their Daughters
Study after study has shown the influence of Dads on their daughter’s life. The influence can not be undermined. Dads have a lot in their control when it comes to influencing their daughters. The book by Dr. Meerker has a lot of great advice for all the Dads out there.
Strong Fathers Strong Daughters
Reason #2: Daughters are very Vulnerable
Dads stand as a wall between their daughter and the world until they are ready. Daughters are vulnerable emotionally and physically from internal as well as an external world and Dads bring to bear their tremendous strengths to shield them. So dad be the warrior for your daughter and protect her for all kinds of harms.
“…Adolescent girls are the most vulnerable and excluded population on the face of the Earth, but they’re also the most inherently powerful. Kofi Annan, when he was UN Secretary-General, said that if you invest in the education of girls, they will go on to change the world. It’s indisputable: They will support their families, and ultimately lift entire communities out of poverty. But a lot of that is about them understanding their rights.”
Why teen girls are the most vulnerable group on Earth
Reason #3: Every Daughter’s First Love is his Father
You are the standard bearer for all the men in his life. You shape her values, her responses, her propensity to risk and what man she marries. A dad has the power to make an extraordinary difference. You are the robust role model. And remember, a daughter’s love is unconditional
“…fathers have a profound impact on their daughters’ body image, clinical depression, eating disorders, self-esteem, and life satisfaction, to name but a few…”
Dad—A Girl’s First and Most Influential Love
…these are pretty strong reasons, let us continue below:
Reason #4: Dads provide the Balance of Life
You have the power to guide her emotional development, her confidence, spiritual framework, the concept of family, happiness, health, perseverance, concept of love, social interactions, aspirations, vulnerability, self-worth, generosity, and much more.
Reason #5: You are her loneliness Eliminator
Recent research (2018) indicated that strong relationships with dads help daughters overcome loneliness! Specifically, the Ohio State researchers requested roughly 700 families to maintain a record of their parent-child interactions for five years. The researchers discovered that young girls reported less loneliness from first grade to fifth grade. Still, loneliness dropped substantially quicker among girls who had a stronger connection with their dads. These findings repeated that men should foster ties with their children, especially their daughters.
Reason #6: You are the builder of her Emotional Framework
Dad provides stability and emotional support to their daughters by just being present. A father shows his daughter a solid male friendship and a role model. When a daughter is mature enough to start dating, she will look for such attributes in males.
Reason #7: You are the lens through which she sees all love relationships
A strong father-daughter bond in childhood influences a daughter’s future love life. For example, a girl’s father is frequently said to set the benchmark for how she should be treated and what she can endure in subsequent relationships.
There is also a caveat to this. You can also destroy her chances of finding true love because you treat are like an absolute princess and no man can ever match that standard. A balance is important. Treat her like a princess and as yet set some boundaries so that she does not have the sense of utter entitlement.
Reason #8: She needs your participation
A girl needs a father who is involved. Even if she responds with one-word, ask her how her day was. Just be there and ready for action in everything she is interested in. Allow her to lead your participation. Don’t take things personally when she says no or does not respond. Why? Because you are smart and you know she will always need you whether she tells you directly or not.
Reason #9: She will always need your assistance
As dads, we can get very annoyed and frustrated at times. Our emotional response can be overwhelming negatively. Even if you don’t always agree with your daughter, she needs to know you love her. She will develop strong self-esteem and a healthy self-image if her father supports her. Just be there with a smile on your face and say – “I am here for you whenever you my daughter need me.”
Reason #10: She needs to be able to confide in you
As a parent, we develop a mental framework to overprotect our children at all times and on all ages. That framework does not work past few childhood years. It is important to evolve that mental framework with the ages of our children.
Once a daughter reaches her teen years, one of the first steps in getting through to your daughter is letting her know that you will address her troubles and challenges with respect and confidence. And most importantly you will not judge her.
Reason #11: She needs your unconditional love
Unconditional love means a daughter knows her father will be there to forgive her no matter how badly she screws up. And most importantly encourage her to take risks and make mistakes. Again, our mental framework to be overprotective does not work past the childhood years. Just be there when she screws up and ask just one question – ” What did you learn?” And be sure to suspend your judgements.
Reason #12: She needs a powerful spiritual guide
We as humans need spiritual fulfilment. Whether it is religious or spiritual or otherwise, she needs a connection with her supreme creator. Spirituality and religions fulfil that gap of knowledge and understanding that Science can not fill. To interpret correctly the most horrific events in our life, spiritual or religious framework is vital. Be that spiritual guide for her.
Reason #13: She needs a robust role model
She needs a strong role model to stay out of trouble in life. Obesity, pregnancy and suicide are some of the big ones she can avoid when you simply choose to be there and present. You are a role model by staying in the game.
“…girls are twice as likely to suffer from obesity without the father present. They’re four-times more likely to get pregnant as teenagers…
“…that children growing up without a father are more than twice as likely to commit suicide…”
NPR Article
Reason #14: To see her happy, you need to be happy
An oxygen mask for a parent is given first preference over a child in a plane. Life is the same way. If you are unhappy, you can’t show a way of happiness to your daughter. If you are in an unhappy marriage, fix it and show it how it is fixed. If it is not fixable, get out and show her how to get out of a bad relationship. But pursue happiness and show her the way how to achieve happiness.
Reason #15: Show her how family bonds and stays bonded
Daughters form a very basic building block of our society and our future. They control more than you can imagine. Show your daughter how an amazing family is built. Families have many ups and downs. No family is perfect. Teach her to recognize her truths and act upon them in pursuit of her happiness.
Reason #16: Show her how to be action oriented
Dads are always about action. There are really two things in one’s life that one is in charge of – what one thinks and what one does. Rest are not in our control. And all actions have timing effectiveness. Without perfect timing, one loses momentum of their actions. Teach her how important action is and how important the timing of that action is.
Reason #17: Show her how to be Responsible
You have toiled hard and fast for your family. Show her your work ethics, your ways to make decisions, your ways to be responsible and your ways of accountability. Have her see you at work, interact with colleagues and be part of decision making at work. She will thank you for the amazing experience and education she can’t have anywhere else. And it will benefit her a great deal when she starts to works and starts her own family.
Reason #18: Show her to be in Control and Assertive
The teenage years are rough for boys and girls. They are more brutal for girls with epidemic of issues related to the looks and outfits. The picture perfect portrayals in the media don’t helps the girls and it causes a huge amount of frustration, anxiety and helplessness. Boys issues are another vexing issue. Girls need to be in control of their sexuality once they understand how to deal with boys smartly.
Dads play an important part in making daughters understand boy behaviors. Girls are always in control of the relationship once they believe it to be so. This is an important concept to understand during teenage years to avoid getting hurt emotionally and physically and avoiding a feeling of weakness and helplessness.
Reason #19: Show her How to be Powerful
Dads can make their daughters very powerful through your belief in her self-esteem and confidence. Dads views on boys and males are an important commentary for the daughters. Daughters’ trust, desire for approval, self-belief are all affected by a daughter’s connection with her Dad. When dads believe their daughters are powerful, daughters realize that they are indeed very powerful.
Reason #20: Show her to be Authentic and Vulnerable
True love and relationships are built through a discovery of one-self and sharing that discovery with our friends and family. Time and experience have shown us that unless we are authentic in our feelings and open to being vulnerable, we may not find the truly loving relationships.
This is a balancing act. Being authentic and vulnerable to a wrong set of people can also expose her to a world of hurt and pain.
This is where Dads come in and teach that fine line between protecting oneself and being authentic and vulnerable.
Being your authentic self – why it takes courage to be vulnerable
Reason #21: Show her How to Fail Spectacularly and be Proud of it.
The story of Sarah Blakely of Spanx fame is to be studied seriously. She proudly talks about her failures and her dad’s constant encouragement to try new things without any fear of failure.
Encourage her to try new things and be proud if she fails spectacularly. Make her risk taker. Lead the way through examples and show her the way to experiment with different things in life without being afraid.
It is easier said than done as Dads age, we get set in our ways and become more risk averse. We as Dads should make a conscious effort to try new things and be proud to fail at them after giving it a whirlwind of time and effort.
CNBC Article on Sara Blakely
Reason #22: Teach her the Value of Higher Education
We live in a fast changing world and raising a great family is always a challenge. Education of the girl child is crucial as without them we can not have great families and great future of our society.
It is not only to be able to raise them to be a bread winner but also to learn about all the tools and skills needed to raise a great family. That mind set and hunger for knowledge are great outcomes of getting a higher education.
“…The NCCP study found 86% of children with parents who have less than a high school degree live in low-income families, compared with 67% of children with parents who have a high school degree (but no college education) and 31% of children with at least one parent who has some college education….”
“…Another study found low socioeconomic status, in turn, can affect family interactions and lead to behavior problems that can impact children’s academic and intellectual development. Additionally, parents who struggle financially tend to grapple with depression, low self-esteem and an inability to cope — which they might pass on to their children….”
Correlation Between Parents’ Education Level and Children’s Success
Reason #23: Teach her Motion is Emotion
Life beats us up often and sometimes badly. We are overcome by bad and negative emotions. Science has taught us that when we exercise and move, our negative emotions begin to disappear.
“…Happiness was enhanced by the Laban motor components of: Jumping, Rhythmic (reinitiating) movements, Spreading, Free-Flow, Lightness, moving Up, and Rising. Sadness was enhanced by the Laban components: Passive-Weight, Arms touching the upper body, Sinking and dropping the head….”
How Do We Recognize Emotion From Movement? Specific Motor Components Contribute to the Recognition of Each Emotion