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Dads and daughters
I don’t know if it can ever be said enough times how important dads are to daughters, but we can always use a reminder. This column got started when someone asked if a dad could spend too much time with his daughter. I doubt that’s very often the case.
• Girls learn how to relate to men by how they relate to their father. Dads also provide encouragement.
“His job is to be a safe male for her to experiment with her femininity … to learn she can be admired by a man without it boiling down to sex,” Erickson said. “Dad also tells her, for example, if she’s climbing a tree, to see how high she can climb.”
[From Dare to Ask: How much time should dads spend with their daughters? | Jacksonville.com]
I’d love to see more information on the link between women’s sense of self, security, and ability to create new relationships because of the role of fathers. Interestingly, the new season of the HBO show In Treatment features a woman who’s interpersonal relationships are hobbled because her relationship with her father is too strong, too cocooning.
I'm a new Dad with a one year old little girl, and I'm convinced the more time I spend with her the better off she'll be in the long run. My sense is that women who have a strong relationship with their fathers tend to see that they can gain the attention and affection of a man beyond sexuality. That lesson alone is invaluable. I also think the benefit of spending as much time as possible with your daughter will come back to the Dad's tenfold. We can learn so much from them.
Hello,
Love this blog. I am working on a website www.daughtersandmoms.com which talks about that tumultuous relationship between mothers and daughters and will touch upon daughters and fathers from time to time. I'd love for you to guess blog, once it's up and running some time in June. Feel free to contact me at maryEWalsh@optonline.net
check out my work as a freelance writer on www.maryellenwalshwriter.com