Saturday, June 18, 2011

Fathers and Daughters

When I was working on some issues with my adopted children, we were having weekly in-home visits with a specialist. During a time when I was going through a particularly challenging moment, the therapist looked me in the eye and said, "You must have a wonderful father."
I stopped what I was saying and said, "Yes, I do. How did you know?"
She smiled and said, "Daughters' self esteem are created by their fathers."
That was a revelation. I'd never heard of that kind of power in a father. From that moment on, I watched fathers with their daughters. I reflected on my own relationship with my Dad. I watched my husband with our daughters. Every moment men spend with their daughters is precious and meaningful. Those moments either tear the girl down or build her up. How grateful I am for a father who spent his time building his daughters up.

If you'd like to read a book describing this important relationship, I recommend Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters by Meg Meeker, MD.

Thanks, Dad.

6 comments:

  1. This morning when Madeline woke up and Cordell entered the room she shouted with glee "daddy!" she did this for about five minutes straight. I am so glad she loves her dad so much.
    I grew up with just a step-dad. Our relationship was difficult because I knew he wasn't my father and my father wasn't/isn't part of my life. But now I'm over the teenage drama of not having a 'real' dad. I realized that, after all, my step-dad was always there even if he didn't know how to express that. I'm grateful to have him in my life :)

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  2. So glad we found each other. What books did you do with createspace?

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  3. Tangled Hearts and Hidden in the Heart were both done through CreateSpace. I used Calibre for the ebook formatting. You can find both of them on Amazon and Barnes & Noble (Kindle and Nook). I already have the cover made for Change of Heart and am about halfway through that one. Thanks for posting!

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  4. Great post! Makes me hope that I can be that kind of father to my daughters (if/when I have any). Thanks for sharing.

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  5. Great post! Perfect for Father's Day coming up. Now that you bring it up, if you look around, you can see that it's true. Nice. :)

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  6. What an inspiring, thought-provoking post. How vital loving, interested fathers are! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences, and for your book recommendation. And thank you for following my blog!

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