Daddy’s Little Girls

My favorite part of being a mommy is watching my husband be a daddy. Before having kiddos, we were pretty clear on how we wanted to raise our children, God willing. A strong faith background drove our thoughts on how we would approach parenting in general. For one, I am extremely close with my father and am pegged a “Daddy’s Girl.” I know what it is like to have a father treat you with the utmost respect and show you how a lady should be treated by a man…anywhere from holding doors open for me to consistently telling me my worth as a person and more importantly, his daughter. I have always felt privileged to be my dad’s daughter and I wanted my husband to have that same relationship with his daughters/ children someday.

So how do you win over your daughters so they too become “Daddy’s Girls?” Every father wants their little girl to look at them dreamily and dote over them. It’s easy for Daddy to do that to his little girls, but what does it take for a father to truly grab that little girl’s heart and hold it tenderly for life? Honestly, it doesn’t take much. You heard me, it doesn’t take much effort at all and it will last a lifetime.

Here are 5 ideas that dads can do to and for their daughters to win their hearts (at ANY age).

1. From a very early age, CONSISTENTLY take your daughter on dates. This makes her feel like she is important, not forgotten about, and you wanted to spend your time with her and her only.
2. Treat her like a lady from early on. Open doors for her, play tea party with her (it takes a true man to sit at a small table with a pinky lifted and sip some tea), Barbies, etc.
3. Spend time talking and praying with her. One day, she may not want to talk anymore, when they are young, get them talking so they will continue talking later in life.
4. Get interested in her interests. She likes piano, learn to play the piano with her OR watch her when she practices and ask her questions about it. This could be with anything: soccer, ballet, basketball, tennis, choir, etc.
5. Tell her who she is. THIS IS IMPORTANT! Each night, tell her the strengths you see in her. For example, I try to tell my kids each night the things I LOVE about them and that I am ALWAYS in their corner. Examples are: You are brave, You are kind, You are a good friend, You are humble, You are generous…etc. By doing this, you are lifting their confidence and showing them the strong little girl you see…which will, in turn, be the strong little girl that stares at them in the mirror.