Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters

I worry about our girls. A lot.

I have seen Ella changing so much lately - she's growing, and learning, and just getting out of that little girl stage. I am watching her interact with other girls, and seeing that even at this early age, girls struggle with fitting in, comparing, and doubt.

I hate it.

I just want to scoop all 5 of them into my arms and say, "don't worry about what others think, just know that God made you just like He wanted, don't listen to them, don't do what they're doing, stay close to Him, focus on Him, and believe Him, just be you, you're a beauty, don't doubt yourself! Alright? Promise mommy you'll do that, ok?"

I know that every child will go through the awkward growing up years, and there will always be mean kids. I just want to protect them - but I know I can't do that all the time.

I hate that too.

So along with asking God everyday to help me be the mom to these girls that He wants me to be - and to please, somehow make me a role model for them, I also read a lot. I love a good book, and lately, I have come across some great ones. I picked up Bringing Up Girls by James Dobson - and it has this great section in it from the book Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters by Meg Meeker. I thought these were some great paragraphs, just wanted to share...

"Daughters might take their mothers for granted, but not you. They light up - or they cry. They watch you intensely. They hang on your words. They hope for your attention, and they wait for it in frustration - or in despair. They need a gesture of approval. A nod of encouragement, or even simple eye contact to let them know you care and are willing to help.

When she is in your company, your daughter tries harder to excel. When you teach her, she learns more rapidly. When you guide her, she gains confidence. If you fully understood just how profoundly you can influence your daughters life, you would be terrified, overwhelmed, or both. Boyfriends, brothers, even husbands can't shape her character the way you do. You will influence her entire life because she gives you an authority she gives no other man.

Many fathers believe that they have little influence over their daughters...But your daughter faces a world markedly different from the one you did growing up: it's less friendly, morally unmoored, and even outright dangerous. She will see sexual innuendo or scenes of overt sexual behavior in magazines or on television before she is 10 years old, whether you approve or not...

Once upon a time ugliness was somewhat "contained" - gangs, drugs, and the "bad crowd" stayed in defined pockets, in certain neighborhoods and schools. No more. The ugliness is all around you...

You will make the difference in your daughters life. You have to - because, unfortunately, we have a popular culture that's not healthy for girls and young women, and there is only one thing that stands between it and your daughter. You.

Pretty good stuff, huh? Well, good but tough. It reminded me that I need to be praying for Eric more, and encouraging him as well in this specific area - cause I do think Dads can have huge impacts on their little girls - sometimes good and sometimes bad.

What do you think?