Daddy: A Daughter’s First Love

Due to the recent birth of our beautiful baby girl, Nora Faith, I’ve rounded up an All-Star list of moms who effortlessly seem to manage work, home, family, life, and everything in between! You can read all their words of motherly wisdom here, as well as how they manage to “do it all” while still living a life they love.

I’ll be sharing my own thoughts and baby updates soon enough, but right now, I’m simply soaking up their trusted advice while cuddling with my new baby girl! 

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The following is written by Brenda from A Farmgirl’s Dabbles:

In my family, I am the oldest of three girls. To this day, we joke with Dad about how lucky he is to have four women (including Mom) in his life. I’m not sure that “lucky” was how he thought of it during our teen years, but he did manage to gently plow through all of our emotional messes and come out on the other side, still his jovial and unfaltering self.

Since having two girls of our own, I’ve been touched with a newfound appreciation for the meaning of daughters. And I give huge credit to my husband for that, because watching his relationship with them has blessed me more than I ever imagined possible. When I found out that Andrea and Dave were going to have a baby girl, I was instantly smiling at my computer screen.

I gave Blake a little book on Father’s Day a number of years ago called “Father to Daughter – Life Lessons on Raising a Girl”. It’s a sweet little cube of a book comprised of quotes from dads about what they’ve learned in bringing up a daughter. Some quotes make me giggle. Others tug real hard on my heart strings, bringing tears to my eyes.

Of all the things these dads shared with the book’s author, there was one common precept…

It was, and is, important to be involved in their daughters’ lives.

The quotes that especially stick out for me, after watching my own husband and girls, are the ones where the dad’s actions encourage a girl’s healthy self esteem. Where a girl gets wrapped up in her dad’s unwavering love, and learns to stand tall, feel beautiful, be courageous, and believe in herself.

Here are a few of my favorites from the section that encompasses the early years:

Sing to her while you’re rocking her. She’ll love hearing your voice – and it’s a great way to pass the time at 1 a.m.

When you get home from work, hold her as much as possible. This is for your benefit as much as hers.

Ask her about her day, every day. Share her wonder.

Tell her from day one that she can accomplish anything. And believe it yourself.

Make her part of your world – let her see you shave, work, read, and relax. She’ll love you, no matter what you’re doing.

Have tea parties with her. Nibble on whatever she puts in front of you. Tell her it’s delicious.

Play with her, tickle her, give her piggyback rides. Show her how to have fun.

But never, ever, make fun of her.

Keep her secrets. Teach her what it means to be able to trust a man.

Praise her often. Let her know you love her the way she is.

Encourage her to try new things while she’s very young, and she’ll be more willing to try new things when she’s older.

Encourage her to trust her instincts, especially when her safety is involved.

Display her artwork in your office. Prominently.

Don’t miss a recital, play, game, or any other performance of hers. Not now. Not until she graduates.

Dance with her always. She’ll never be too young. Or too old.

Be her hero.

Be her first love.

Andrea and Dave, I pray that you treasure every single moment with your new little girl. And I hope that the smallest of each daddy-daughter interaction sparks an awareness of the incredibly important job you two have as parents. May you always feel on-your-knees grateful for this awesome responsibility.

I am so excited to watch your family grow together. Congratulations on your beautiful baby girl!

Brenda Score is the blog author and photographer at a farmgirl’s dabbles, where she shares stories of family and fabulous food. You can find Brenda at www.afarmgirlsdabbles.com, on Facebook at A Farmgirl’s Dabbles, and on Twitter @farmgirlsdabble.