Father to Daughter: The wonder years

Life Lessons On Raising a Girl. Raising a girl takes 2 parents: A mom to show her how to be a woman. A dad to show her how to be independent. A dad’s job is to make his daughter courageous. Fearless. To make her feel beautiful. To give her a sense of adventure. To make her feel secure and confident. The relationship between a dad and a daughter is very simple: She will love her father and trust him completely, forever. Because he’s her first love. Her first hero.The first man in her life.

THE FIVE KEYS:

 

1 always be involved in her life

 

2 respect and honor her mom

3 treasure every moment with her

4 pray for her every day

5 be her hero

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1. realize from the beginning that even at one week old, she’s a girl. So she’s going to be just as charming and just as mystifying, as every other girl you know. Being her dad will not change this.

2. Accept the fact that she will melt your heart any time she chooses.

3. Take part in her life now. Don’t wait until she’s 15 to try and develope a relationship.

4. She may look adorable, but be forwarned-her diaper is going to be just as challenging as any boy’s.

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

6. 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.

7. Be sure to take alot of photos of her now. She is changing every day.

8. Tell her from day one that she can accomplish anything.

9. Let her sleep on your chest when she’s a baby. This is when the world begins to make sense.

10.Yes, she’s a girl. But her screams will be as loud as any baby boy’s when she’s hungry or tired or upset.

11.Make her part of your world-let her see you shave, work, read, and relax. She’ll love spending time with you, no matter what you’re doing. Enjoy it while it lasts.

12.Memorize her face. Her eyes. Her hands. She’ll be memorizing everything about you.

13.Kepp saying "Daddy" over and over to her. There’s a good chance "Da-Da" will be her first word.

14.Introduce her to the joys of ice cream and chocolate sauce. She’ll have as much fun playing with it as eating it.

15.Give her baths. Do not leave this to mom alone. It’s pure magic.

16.Come to grips with the fact that you cannot carry her around all her life. She’ll eventually have to learn to walk.

17.Remember, if you yell at a boy not to play with a wall socket, he’ll either stomp off or do it anyway. A girl will cry.

18.When she babbles at you in baby talk, always respond with a positive:"yes." "Of course." "You’re right." Soon enough you’ll be telling her "No." all the time.

19.Her mom will show her how to bake chocolate chip cookies. You show her how to dunk them in milk.

20.REalize that when she starts walking that anything she can reach will disappear. Find a childproof place for your keys. Your wallet. The TV remote.

21.Know that while you will never understand her thing for dolls, you will buy her more of them than you can possibly imagine.

22.Teach her to count. First on her fingers. Then cheerios, M&Ms, dandelions, and fireflies.

23.Emotionally, physically, and spiritually healthy girls are raised in a loving atmosphere. Do all you can to create a tranquil, harmonious home.

24.Let the family dog sit under her high chair at dinner. Your daughter will be a source of food for him, and the dog will be a constant source of wonder for her.

25.Invest money in a college fund. NOW.

26.Be prepared to watch Walt Disney movies with her some 200 times. Each.

27.Your wife can play Mozart and Beethoven symphonies. You introduce her to the Beatles.

28.Tickle her, play with her, give her piggyback rides. She’s not breakable.

29.Never lose the wonder of watching her and her mother together.

30.Relish the moments when she toddles up and for no reason at all throws her arms around your neck. Resist the urge to buy her the world.

31.Trust her mom to figure out the mystery of little girls. You have yet to figure out the mystery of the big ones.

32.REalize that if you take her on a plane trip before she can talk, there’s a good chance she’ll scream for two and a half hours.

33.Encourage her to go barefoot.

34.Never, ever, make fun of her.

35.Bear in mind that from the very beginning your personality will shape her.

36.Realize that while you shape her, she’ll shape you.

37.Dont think that because she’s a sweet little girl she cant throw food with them best of them.

38.Buy her a beautiful necklace very early on. Continue to add little links to it as she grows older.

39.When you take her to the movies, be ready for her to bring along five or six of her favorite stuffed animals.When fathers of boys look at you strangely, act as ifher behavior makes perfect sense.

40.She will want a pet. She will also want to dress her pet in costumes and take it for strolls in her doll carriage.

41.Take her out shopping, just the two of you. But resist the urge to buy out the store.

42.Always remember, she can do anything a boy can do.

43.Brush her hair occasionally. You’ll be amazed at how long she’ll want you to do this.

44.Never forget that supportive fathers produce daughters with high self esteem.

45.Read to her often. Very soon she’ll be reading to you.

46.Build a shelf for her dolls and stuffed animals collection. Ask her to tell you stories about each one.

47.Give her a picture of you to put in her first purse. If you’re lucky, she’ll al;ways carry a photo of you.

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

49.Take her to the zoo. She’ll lov ethe elephants, the monkeys, the lions, the petting zoo, everything.

50.Buy her a jungle gym.However, if she falls off that jungle gym, disregard those thoughts about killing yourself.

51.Encourage ehr to play with the boys.

52.Take her fishing. She’ll be disgusted by the worm and the hook, but she’ll love reeling in the fish.

53.Play catch with her. Even if the ball is pink and covered with glitter.

54.Talk to her about what she wants to be when she grows up. Continue to reinforce the idea that anything is possible.

55.Dont tolerate her temper tantrums. Not now. Not when she’s 15. Your home will be more peaceful for this.

56.Restrict her TV viewing, unless you want her to grow up with the values Hollywood teaches.

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

58.Remember, if little girls don’t get a nap, they can resemble something from a stephen king novel.

59.Put her in galoshes and take her outside to stomp in mud puddles.

60.Little girls are fascinated by escalators. Make sure you hold hands.

61.Make her a valentine’s day card-every year.

62.take her horseback riding. girls love horses.

63.lie on your backs in the grass togetherand look for shapes in the clouds. its a good way to approach life when you’re young.

64.You’ll notice that little girls love to have their faces painted. So do bigger girls, only they use makeup.

65.Be home for dinner on time. Very important.

66.Believe it or not, when shes 2 and a half, shes ready for a bike with training wheels. You, however, might not be.

67.Buy her cycling gloves and a helmet when you’re ready to take the training wheels off. It saves alot of scraped skin and tears.

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

69.Keep her secrets. This way she will begin to trust men.

<span style="font-family: T

imes New Roman”>70.Write this down: Girls cry. A LOT.

71.Sure, give her a baseball glove for her birthday. (it’s okay)

72.Young girls love a hose and a sandbox.They also love to rip off their clothes after they get them wet. Dont freak out.

73.Take her for a walk in the woods. Show her what poison ivy looks like,how to cross a stream, how to find her way back.

74.Let her teach you. About what she learned in school today. About the Pilgrims, or multiplication, or manatees.How to sing her favorite song. How to bake a cake. How to braid Barbie’s hair.

75.Show her how to play poker.

76.REsist the urge to allow her to sleep in your bed when she’s scared or sick. Independence starts in childhood. Instead, sit with her in her own room until she falls back to sleep.

77.Teah her not to be afraid of boys, but be ready to challenge them.

78.When shes old enough sign her up for karate lessons. this is more for your sake than hers.

79.Plant flowers with her. Even if your garden is on a windowsill.

80.Dont be surprised if, on her first sleepover, she calls you at 3 a.m to come pick her up. The fact that she misses you is a wonderful thing.

81.she will fall in love with dogs, cats, birds, and stuffed unicorns. It may make no sense to you.Just smile.

82.If another girl or boy hurts her in any way, you will have the very real inclination to inflict harm. REsist it. This impulse wont get any weaker as yourdaughter gets older.

83.Show her how to climb up a tree. Also, to climb down.

84.Praise her often. Let her know you love her the way she is. If you tell her this often enough she might remember it throughout adolescence.

85.Make up stories to tell each other at night. Stretch her imagination.

86.Remember, little sisters will idolize, chase, and annoy their older brothers and sisters through their teenage years. Its really nobodys fault.

87.Teach her how and when to call 911.

88.This cannot be said enough: Dont give in to the urge to buy her everything. (you’ll bankrupt the family)

89.Learn to read her moods. The day is coming when she wont tell everything to you.

90.Buy her a chemistry set.

91.Get involved in her school. Go to PTA meetings.Meet her teachers. Know whats going on.

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

93.Teach her how to take pride in who she is.

94.Surprise her by showing up at her school for lunch, bearing happy meals or pizza.

95.Always respect her privacy.And modesty.

96.Dont pry into the stories she and her mother tell each other.Theyll let you in on them when they want to.

97.read her stories from the newspaper. This will spark a lifelong habit.

98.the earlier you buy her a computer, the sooner using it will become second nature.

99.reinforce her interest in math and science, inside and outside the classroom.

100.show her how to throw a right cross. this will stop any boy from picking on her.

101.talk to her about drugs and alcohol early and often.you dont want her to learn this stuff from anybody else.

102.never argue with her mom in front of her. as hard as it may be, walk away.

103.encourage her to trust her instincts. especially when a person or place feels unsafe.

104.remember, society is teaching her its values 24/7.you need to be more determined to teach her yours.

105.insist that she not wear make up until she’s in high school.

106.never permit her to talk back rudely-to you or her mother. or anybody else, for that matter.

107.teach her patience,kindness,and tolerance.if you dont, many years from now, you’ll wish you had.

108.display her artwork in your office. why should all the good stuff go on the refrigerator?

109.Take her to the golf course with you. give her a sawed-off club she can use to wh

ack balls around.

110.encourage her to compliment others.

111.eat breakfast with her. this will give her a reason to be at the table on time.

112.think before you speak. even when you dont mean to, you can end up hurting her feelings.

113.teach her that her actions speak louder than her words. even if shes screaming her words.

114.never laugh at her dreams.

115.impress upon her the 3 Rs: respect for self. Respect for others. responsibility for all her actions.

116.remind her to correct a mistake as soon as she realizes shes made one.

117.encourage her to spend time by herself.

118.teach her to read between the lines. remember though, that she will probably have a better natural ability for this than you.

119.share your knowledge with her.

120.never let her forget that you love her. even when you’re angry with her.

121.remind her never to interrupt when shes being flattered.

122.take her out of town to somewhere she’s never been at least once a year. this will develope her sense of adventure.

123.Dont miss a recital, concert, play, or any other performance of hers. not now. not until she graduates.

124.encourage her to be kind. even to the girl nobody likes.

125.make sure she can reach you 24 hours a day.

126.tell her when you’re wrong. and apologize.

127.remember, she needs a strong self-image BEFORE she becomes an awkward teen.A fathers love can make all the difference.