Dads and Daughters: 5 Tips for Raising Little Girls

Did you just become a father to a new baby girl?

If so, congratulations are definitely in order. There is nothing quite like the relationship between dads and daughters, and you’re about to find that out first-hand in the coming years.

While raising a daughter can be a very rewarding experience, you might be a little bit apprehensive about how to go about doing it. You might even be stressed out at the thought of bringing up a daughter in the world today.

Don’t let that stop you from doing your absolute best when it comes to raising your daughter the right way.

Here are 5 tips all dads should follow when thinking about how to raise a daughter.

1. Love and Honor Your Daughter’s Mother at All Times

Your daughter will learn a lot about how men are supposed to treat women simply by watching the way that you interact with her mother.

It doesn’t matter if you and your daughter’s mom have a great relationship or have decided to go your separate ways. Either way, you should make an effort to treat mom with love and respect.

You should also be mindful of the way you interact with your daughter’s mother. If you are constantly putting her down or not valuing her opinion, your daughter is likely going to sense that women aren’t important in relationships.

This could make it difficult for your daughter later in life. She might not be able to form close bonds with partners if she takes cues from the way you treated her mom.

Whether you have sons or daughters, you should always remember that they are watching and using you as an example! Don’t do anything that could impact them negatively either now and in the future.

2. Tell Your Daughter She’s Both Beautiful and Smart From a Young Age

Over the years, it’s become all too common for men to judge women based solely on their looks. Without even thinking about it, many men will compliment a woman on her appearance without considering her personality or her brains.

While you should, by all means, tell your daughter that she’s beautiful, you should also put an emphasis on her personality and intelligence from the very start. You should tell her she’s beautiful and smart and capable of doing anything she wants to do.

You should also give her other compliments. You might want to tell her that you:

• Love the way she shares with other kids and takes their feelings into consideration
• Appreciate the way she helps out around the house and makes life easier on you and her mother
• Take pride in how she carries herself in public and treats others with respect

It’s important to build up a young girl’s self-esteem and tell her all of the things that you love about her. You shouldn’t simply start and stop by telling her how beautiful she is and make that the focus of your admiration.

3. Spend as Much Time as You Can With Your Daughter

Kids grow up quick. Five, ten, or fifteen years might sound like a long time, but you’ll be blown away by how quickly childhood goes.

Dads and daughters should take advantage of the time they have and spend as much of that time together as they possibly can.

There are so many things you can do to play a part in your daughter’s life. You can:

• Teach her how to ride a bike and practice with her until she gets the hang of it
• Sign her up for a local youth sports league and show her how to throw a ball or score a basket
• Take walks through the park and talk about all of the cool things you see in nature
• Binge watch a TV show you used to love as a kid and tell her about how excited you used to be for each episode
• Lay in bed in the morning and discuss all of the things you can do that day (and then go out and actually do them!)

Whatever you choose to do, make sure you appreciate the time dads and daughters get to spend together. One day, your daughter will be all grown up, and she won’t have as much time to devote to you. You’ll miss her when those days come.

4. Encourage Your Daughter to Get Involved in Activites That Interest Her

Far too often, parents think they have to sign their daughter up for ballet classes or dance recitals simply because she’s a girl.

This couldn’t be further from the truth! You should ask your daughter what she wants to do and then let her try it out.

There are some girls who want to take part in ballet and dance. But there are also plenty of others who want to take karate classes or sign up for art school.

You shouldn’t limit your daughter in any way. It’s your goal as a dad to help her expand her horizons and learn about herself through the activities that she chooses to participate in.

5. Praise Your Daughter Often and Build Up Her Self-Confidence

One of the most important parts of being a dad to a daughter is working to build up her self-confidence. Confidence isn’t something that people are born with — they have to actively work on increasing the confidence they feel!

You can help with this process by complimenting your daughter. You can also do it by pushing her to pursue the things that make her passionate. When she finds something she’s good at, encourage her to keep at it and let her know how proud you are of her accomplishments.

When you take this approach, your daughter will grow up to be more confident and exhibit better self-esteem.

Enjoy the Bond That Dads and Daughters Have

As a dad, it’s your job to make sure that your daughter gets to enjoy a great childhood. It’s also your job to put your daughter in a position to be successful and, more importantly, happy when she grows up.

Dads and daughters have a special bond that can’t be broken. Enjoy it and make the most of it at all times!

Check out our blog for more advice on improving yourself as a man.