Father-daughter relationship

citygirlsmom
Fri, 30 Dec 2005 13:50:59 +0000

Be willing to sit through the MOST detailed stories about school, the more detailed and long the better, it means they want to share, My Ds tell really long stories about friends, and school, and My H at least seems like he is paying attention

Go to movies you don’t really want to see, but your D does. My H HATES scary movies but does the whole lunch, drive, bonding things over the event, they get to tease him, and he plays it up, they are 14 and 16 now, and the movie thing is a ritual with the three of them, I don’t do the movie thing, it is their time

Do every father/daughter event you can or create your own, ie- go shopping together to get Moms Bday present, do a breakfast once a month, create the times together

Tell her she is smart, funny, beautiful, never ever talk about weight or how clothes fit, if you are worried about her weight (gain), just do something- bowling, rollerskating, walking the dogs- of course if it a big shift up or down, then step in

Let mom take care of skin care issues, etc, your D is your perfect princess and needs to know that Daddy sees that

Once my dear H made a comment about something in regards to Ds appearance- can’t remember if it was skin or weight- to him it was nothing, and it really was nothing, but to a teen girl, it was everything…

Be aware that teen girls are like rollercoasters- moods up and down, and when they are 8th graders, everyhting can hit at once, just enjoy the ride

And the 13-14 year old years are the most vulnerable- that is the time the girls can get lost

Watch the Movies- Thirteen (tough but oh so real), Mean Girls (just to understnad what D may be going through), Pretty in Pink, Legally Blind, you get the drift

Bring her flowers just because, especially after a rough week. Just daisies is fine

Give her tools- come backs for guys, responses on how to say no, etc

My H used to tease my Ds, but it was always gentle, now they can handle anyone

Give them opportunities to meet other adults, ie your friends, so they are used to having conversations that don’t include “like” as every other word

Have her stretch and get out of her comfort zones

Do activities for fun, not everything should be to win, as stated above

And love her no matter how annoying she says you are