7 Tips for Fathers Raising a Teenage Daughter
If you are reading the post to receive the 7 tips to for fathers to raise a teenage daughter then you either have a teenage daughter, will soon have a teenage daughter or know a father who has a teenage daughter and you would like to help. Regardless of the how and the why, the fact is that you are here. I decided to write this after an interesting conversation with my 14 year old daughter Olivia who is the older sister of Brian Jr and Anthony my two sons. After our conversation I thought to myself “it would be great to find a book to help fathers raising a teenage daughter”. Because after what I experienced I would have opened up to any tips and advice on raising a teenage daughter, especially one like my Olivia.
Let me tell you what happened and why I decided to write this post to help any father raising a teenage daughter. One Saturday morning things around the house were going as usual. My wife cooked breakfast, my children were watching cartoons and I was on my computer. I know you might be saying to yourself “how does any of this help fathers raising a teenage daughter” but just read on and you’ll get the BIG PICTURE. My teenage daughter like most teenagers thinks that she knows it all and that her mother and I don’t have a clue about what’s going on. Even though this Saturday seemed like others I would soon discover that it would completely change my approach to raising a teenage daughter.
I noticed that my daughter who hardly ever feeds the dog, let alone walk the dog had been extremely eager to walk our dog Abbey around the corner in our community for the last week. Olivia normally sleeps in on Saturdays, but for the last two Saturdays she was awake bright and early and ready to walk Abbey.
Tip #1 for Raising a Teenage Daughter : Get to know your daughter. Fathers should know there daughters characteristics pretty well and you will learn her way of thinking better when you give your daughter the time and attention she deserves.
Her hair looked amazing and she wore a very bright and pretty outfit. She said to me “dad may I take abbey for a walk abound the block?”, I said “yes”.
Tip #2 for Raising a Teenage Daughter: Fathers must learn to trust their daughters. When your daughter know she has your trust it will boost her self esteem and build her confidence in her self and her self worth.
I notices her walk was a little longer than usual and she was suddenly really close friends with another younger girl who had a brother the same age as Olivia. I know that some may be saying “how are these tips for raining a teenage daughter?”…stay with me because I’m going somewhere with this. When Olivia arrived home I told my daughter a story about when I was younger I had a crush on a young lady in my neighborhood and I would walk past her house everyday just to see her (when you’re young it’s not stalking…LOL).
Tip #3 for Raising a Teenage Daughter: Be honest with your daughter because the worst thing a father can be when raising a a teenage daughter is a hypocrite. We are the first male influences in our daughters lives and we set the standard of our daughters perception of a man.
I asked my daughter Olivia “Have you ever experienced what I went through with the girl I had a crush on?”…she replied “yes”. She looked at me and said “Dad for some reason I feel like I can tell you anything”.
Tip #4 for Raising a Teenage Daughter: Many fathers believe they have to be the enforcer and can not be a friend when this is completely untrue. The better the relationship the better the communication and communication is extremely important when raising a teenage daughter.
I explained to my daughter that it is normal for her to start being interested in boys and that it is nothing to be ashamed of. At that moment I felt like it was time to have the conversation the most fathers raising a teenage daughter really dread. It was time to have the “sex talk”! I to her like the intelligent individual she is and I carefully and honestly explained the beauty of the love between a man and a women. I informed her that she is a valuable jewel and should highly value her body and self respect.
Tip #5 for Raising a Teenage Daughter: Say kind and uplifting words to your daughter because there are enough people in the world who speak negatively about women and she needs and deserves all of the kind words that you can give. This improves your daughters self confidence and self perception.
During the conversation she asked me some very tough questions that a father raising a teenage daughter feel uncomfortable answering because most times they are questions about US and we don’t want to tarnish our image but our daughters deserve the truth. Some may be saying “my child should do as I say and not as I do”… but this may cause your daughter to see you as a hypocrite which will have a very negative effect on your relationship. She asked me what I was like when I was young and I explained to her that it is because of my immaturity at the time and the experiences that I’ve had that permit me to share my wisdom with her.
Tip #6 for Raising a Teenage Daughter: Share your knowledge with your daughter. What better person to guide her as she matures and begins to deal with life and men that her father. Many times fathers carry the mindset of if we don’t discuss it then it does not exist and this is a false sense of reality. What then happens is that your daughter may seek the guidance of another male figure who does not have her best interest at heart so we must share our life experiences to protect and prepare our young women as the journey out into the world.
After our talk I felt like my daughter and I were walking on the clouds because I had done the most important thing any father can hope for when raising a teenage daughter and that is to be open, receptive, understanding and supportive of my little girl and to know that she trust me.
Tip #7 for Raising a Teenage Daughter: Be grateful for the relationship you have with your daughter and enjoy the time you spend together. Know that if you do your part as a father by giving love, support and uplifting motivation that you when it’s time for your little girl to leave the nest she’ll be a mature, respectful, and confident woman ready to succeed no matter what life throws her way.
To help our children we must decide to help our self and personal development is vital to the success of all who seek to succeed. Today is the day that you decide to transform your thinking and improve your quality of life, if this is you I encourage to check out what is allowing the hopeless to regain hope during a turbulent economy http://tinyurl.com/cu7hws
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