It’s been my experience that the way a woman gives and receives love can be traced back to her relationship or lack thereof with her father.  His love is priceless.

There are no words that truly capture our need for our fathers to be involved and stay involved in our lives.  As I watch my daughter grow everyday with the love of her father I am amazed at their bond.  It is because of him she will grow with a healthy sense of self .   He makes sure that she realizes he loves her everyday.  She is learning the levels of  love first hand and it is beautiful to witness.  The life lesson of trust and when to give it is in full swing.   Showing what trust is and who is worthy of it is an asset she will not lose if taught correctly.

The first man she has learned to trust is her dad. He has shown her that trust should be earned.  He can be trusted with her physical wellbeing, her heart, emotions and flaws.  His actions prove who he is as well as his words.  Fathers are pivotal men in a young girls life.  Without them the road can get very bumpy.

When a man becomes a father and shows up not just physically but emotionally he is helping to shape a girl who will grow into a woman capable of seperating the men from the boys.  He is a protector and guide, showing her what to expect from good men in the future.

A young girl watches his actions and inactions subconsciously.  Often we watch how he treats our mother and interacts with other women around him.  He is the first to sculpt our thoughts of how a man treats a woman.

From childhood to the  tween years he goes from feeling like your best friend to what feels like your worst enemy.  He wants to know where you’ve been and where you’re going.  All too often he has to supply the good sense when you lack it.  Girls don’t always realize it but fathers really do tend to know best.

He’s much more than a name; he’s an action.  He knows when to sit back and let you learn a hard lesson and rises to the occasion when he recognizes he needs to rescue you from yourself.  Good fathers help you to see who you are.  He won’t pretend you are something you are not neither will he let you fall short of what you are.  You are a star in his eyes and he knows your potential.  From the cradle to walking across that high school stage he is there to mold you and to hold you.

As we make the transformation from girl to woman it is with his love that we go forward.  We enter into relationships looking for that same kind spirit, protector and guiding light for our children.  We look for all the wonderful qualities we first noticed in our fathers.  Often we search high and low for men who are hard workers with a teddy bear soft spot just like good ol’ Dad.

There isn’t a large enough thank you card for all you fathers of the world for being  guiding lights and your daughters’ first love.