Daughters Need Their Fathers

(Excerpts from the book Man-U-Script)

by Peter Lawson
I’m a firm believer that a father’s relationship with his children is vital to their total well-being. I also believe that a dad is the first important man in a daughter’s life. So I open doors for my daughter, pull her chair out so she can sit, and I make sure that she’s safe. As her father I’m setting the standard for any man who decides to court her. I want to be sure that she knows what to expect and that she knows not to settle for less. My daughter knows in her heart of hearts that I have her best interest in mind.

God has taught me a tremendous amount about fatherhood. He’s even used my children’s life lessons to teach me about life. I’m reminded of a time when my daughter was a little girl. She had a knack for knocking things over back then. One day as she sat at the dining table, she knocked over her cup of milk. I used to get really upset at things like that. She looked up at me, afraid that I was going to yell or get upset at her. I saw the fear in her eyes and realized how much I loved her. I just couldn’t get angry. Instead, I knocked my drink over too. She just looked at me and asked, “Dad, you did that for me?” I know that was God’s doing, even though I didn’t know Him personally at the time.

by Oliver R. Ratney
My eldest daughter married a man who possesses qualities that she saw demonstrated in our household. I’m honored that she found a man that reminds her of me. Trust me, it really is God’s presence that is making all the difference in my kids, and in our home.

by William Belle
Now, to my daughter I was the model of manhood that she knew growing up. The example of manhood that she saw in our home was to become what she would deem normal, which made raising her an awesome responsibility. When she looked at me, she saw hardworking, industrious, and active. She saw a man who loved and took care of her. She saw a man who took care of the home. As her father, I was the primary man to tell and show her how valuable she is. Whether she admired my qualities or not, I was her model of manhood. And like every other girl, she compared men in her life to her father. I set the stage for her husband. When she was looking at men, she was attracted to what was normal and familiar to her; and that’s the kind of man she chose to marry. Girls marry the kind of man their father is, be he good or bad.

There were times when I fell short of being the example I should have been when my daughter was growing up. Once struck with the reality of my wrong, I purposely sat down with her, admitted my error and apologized. As a result, our relationship was fortified. The atmosphere was then set where she could come to me with her mistakes without the fear of being judged. If she could trust me with her faults, I could then help to shape her. You can’t shape anybody unless there’s a sense of closeness. You can’t have a sense of closeness, unless there’s a sense of trust. And you don’t ever have a sense of trust, unless there’s disclosure. My confessing and apologizing to her was beneficial to the both of us.