A Father’s Duty to Daughters
God holds men responsible for their families.
That’s one of the most sobering and challenging thoughts that is my mind every time I approach the idea of my place in a family.
You see, God’s order in the family structure is Husband –> Wife –> Children, and that means that the Husband/Father is the one that not only has the authority, but the responsibility before God to lead his family.
All too often today, the man has decided to abdicate his role of leader, either to the mother or to no one in particular. This being the case, some children are left on their own to decide what they think is right, and that leaves the father and the family in great peril.
Attention
You see, as a dad of a little daughter I know that little girls can be exhausting. Unlike boys, girls tend to figure you out, to push your buttons, and to wear you down. They test the limits to see what you’ll accept, and they desire acceptance (or at least display that desire) more than the boys.
It doesn’t help that we spend a lot of time telling girls that they are pretty, cute, etc. such that they internalize “Daddy likes me when I dress or look a certain way.” So it’s a challenge for you, men, to make sure that your daughter knows that you love her no matter how she looks.
Modesty
It’s important that, as dad, you get involved in her life—and that includes in her clothing selections!
Hopefully you and your wife are on the same page, otherwise it can be even more of a challenge, but as dad (even though you’re not a woman) your input is important. Your wife and your daughter do not see through a man’s eyes. They may be ignorant (or play ignorant) about what they want to wear. It’s your job to put your foot down—hopefully in a loving way, but in an authoritative way.
Relationship
Above all, you need a strong, loving relationship with all of your children—especially your daughter. Why especially her? Because she’s looking to you to be an example of who she should look for in a future husband herself.
While your boys will be looking to you for an example as well, how you treat your wife, what your interests are, the priorities you set—all of these things she is seeing and will look for in a future spouse.
Do you want to fix this kind of thing while she’s small, or when she brings home the guy that you can’t stand?
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MintheGap, you are so right. As a mother, (and daughter), it is very important for father’s to get involve with their daughters. These days, girls are hyper sexualized and honestly getting the wrong message from the media, society and sometimes the men in their lives.
By keeping that relationship strong, especially in the beginning when you’re laying down the foundation, will help her make the right decisions with what to wear, but also who to invite in her life.
While I can understand some parents thinking that the father will raise the boys and the mother the girls, I think we miss out when we assign kids like that. It’s important that each child is loved in the special way that that parent loves. It’s also important that they are taught perspective, etc.