How important is the relationship between father/daughter?
Parenting teens isn’t easy. There’s plenty of talk about teens having a strong relationship with their mothers, but a girl’s relationship with her dad has a huge effect on your future as well.
1. Dads Dream Big
If you’re a dad who has big dreams for your little girl, you could be helping to shape her future. They key is to help her discover her own dreams rather than project yours onto her. If you’ve always dreamed of having a doctor in the family, there’s nothing wrong with suggesting that as a possible career plan. However, this is your daughter’s life, and it’s important to support whatever she feels most passionate about.
2. Dads Help Create Self-esteem
The way your daughter sees you treat her mother will have a major effect on her self-esteem. Kids learn a lot about relationships from watching romances play out in their own families. If you have a relationship with your daughter’s mother, you can provide a good example by treating her well. Even if all you have is a co-parenting relationship, you can still demonstrate good behavior by keeping the language respectful.
The way you treat your daughter has a direct effect as well. If you open doors for her, call her a princess and always treat her with the utmost respect, she will learn to expect that sort of treatment from future partners.
3. Dads Help Daughters Feel Safe
When teens grow up knowing they have a strong father figure to look after them, it will cultivate feelings of safety. When girls feel safe, they’re more likely to try new things, challenge ideas and speak up for themselves. Make sure your daughter knows that you have her back no matter what. Don’t assume that she knows this. The teen years can be difficult, and all the fighting can lead to the feeling that you two aren’t on the same side. A supportive comment can go a long way.
For more information about parenting teens, please contact me today. My online workshops are perfect for helping fathers of teens develop closer relationships with their daughters.
