by Ryan Crawley for Dadspadblog.com
I would venture to guess that most first time fathers, if they had a choice, would choose to have a son. Of course, their first priority is to just have a healthy baby. However, if forced to decide whether they would like a boy or a girl, the majority of fathers would say they would rather have a boy for their firstborn.
It is nothing personal, but fathers dream of passing down their knowledge of sports, cars, and other things to their son. It is almost like they want to create a carbon copy of themselves, but smaller. A mini-me of the father. To say they would like to live vicariously through their firstborn child might be stretching it a bit, but they do want to educate the boy on the things they enjoy in life.
Having a girl kind of throws a monkey wrench into the situation. Would a daughter enjoy learning about sports and all the various teams to cheer for like her father? Are they able to sit down and binge-watch superhero movies and cartoons for the day? Will they even want to provide a hand when building a fort in the backyard? These are all things first time fathers think about. Plus, in the back of our minds, we often think that there is a possibility we will only have one child, so we would rather have a boy if that is the case.
However, when everything is said and done and a baby girl comes out during delivery, no father on earth would ever want to trade in his new daughter for a son. Here are some unique ways that a father-daughter bond can be even stronger than a father-son bond.
You Are the Man She Will Compare All Others to
They always say a girl will marry someone that reminds her of her father. So your duty as a father is to set that bar so high that very few men will actually be able to compare. Your daughter’s success in life depends much on how you are as her father, so go above and beyond other fathers out there.
You Are Her Protector
When your daughter thinks there is a monster under her bed or in her closet, she will come running for you. She thinks you are the bravest man in the world. Eventually, in twenty to thirty years, your baby daughter is going to start dating. (I know it will probably be earlier than that, but let’s hope not.) As the young men begin calling, you are there to set the guidelines. If a man cannot come to the front door and instead honks the horn out in the driveway, then that guy is not worth dating. And the ones that are brave enough to knock on the front door and meet the parents are met with a hearty handshake and a no-nonsense stare that will leave them knowing if they mess up with your daughter, then they are risking their health.
Pushing the Bike
A father’s coercing to urge his daughter to take risks, non-life threatening risks, will always be a constant in her life. It might begin with getting her to try different foods. Later, it moves on to running behind her as she tries to ride a bike for the first time. Even later after that, maybe it’s about going to her dream college or following the career path she always wanted to try since she was a kid. A father will always be there to propel his daughter further.
It’s Okay to Be Silly
While a father may teach his daughter several life lessons, one thing the daughter will teach her father is to not take himself so seriously. Having a tea party every so often with your little daughter softens the heart of the most serious man. Soon, she will want to practice painting your nails because she does not want to mess up on her own… and you will let her! If you are a good father, your daughter will be the one you can let your guard down with.
Leaving the Nest
Someday a father must walk his daughter down the aisle and hand her off to her new husband. A man that is promising to protect her and respect her as long as they both shall live. As a father, though, you hope she knows that you are still the one she can turn to in case of an emergency or some tough situation she is in. Being able to take a backseat to her husband will be difficult, but it is one of the final moments of true unconditional love you will be able to show your daughter as she leaves the nest to begin her own family.
Ryan Crawley is a writer and educator from Washington, Illinois. He enjoys using humor in all of his writing. You can find articles by him on several top Education, Parenting, and Fitness sites. To contact him, check out his LinkedIn profile. http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-crawley-b854bb146
