It’s fun raising two daughters. I’m learning more and more but will never learn it all! Sometimes they try and team up against me, which is hilarious. And most of the time they say the cutest and sweetest things.
While we’ve been experiencing this global pandemic of 2020 and national shut down, I’ve been able to be at home with them every day. That’s been one of the best things about this whole crazy situation.
Last night, I read through a little book called, Why A Daughter Needs A Dad by Gregory Lang. Here are a few of the reasons that stuck out to me:
To Help Her Learn To Recognize A Gentleman
In our media-driven world, there is huge pressure for girls. The pressure for relationships at a young age is just one of the many tilted and skewed issues that movies and other media thrust upon female teens. As my daughters grow, I want to them to know, experience and learn what a respectable gentleman is and what an awesome Christian marriage looks like. It’s not that I’m perfect, nor can I make decisions for them, but in general, I want them to recognize their worth in Christ and allow that to determine the kind of husband they will marry.
To Show Her That True Love Is Unconditional
There’s nothing my daughter can do to keep me from loving her. It would be impossible. True love doesn’t have stipulations. I need to teach her that while she is young and as she grows into an adult. I fail a lot, but do my best to show her this by telling her, listening to her, hugging her, and providing structure and discipline. I also want to keep the door to open to questions as she grows. She is always welcome to approach us with problems and in general, know this is a safe place to talk.
To Teach Her The Joy Of Serving Others
Giving your life away is the best way to live it. One of the best things we have ever done is to serve in ministry together as a family. Singing together, going on a mission trip together and other similar experiences have allowed my wife and I to pass along the joy of serving Christ while serving others. It doesn’t have to be fancy – even coloring cards for nursing homes, veterans, or other ways of sharing with people can be a way of learning to serve others. Almost every time my daughters and I go out for breakfast or some other meal, we often try to serve someone. Some examples include buying gift cards for police officers, giving away a cup of coffee, or giving food to a homeless person near the interstate ramp.
To Give Her The Refuge Of A Christian Home
The world can be a scary place. And though we don’t need to live in fear, it’s wonderful to have the refuge of a Christian home. There is the comfort of knowing you always have a place to come back to. There is comfort and power in the tradition of praying together. There is also sanity for children and teenagers in the discipline of a Christian home. Structure and discipline allow us to develop into faithful Christian adults. It’s more caught than taught.
To Pull Her Back When She Is Heading The Wrong Direction
When my oldest was smaller, I would grab her hand in parking lots. She wasn’t always happy about it, but I knew the potential danger and consequence. As she got older, she would walk with me through parking lots alone. But if she ever happened to so much as flinch at the wrong moment, I would grab her hand – almost instinctively. A dad is supposed to help spark adventure in the life of their children, but also grab them when they heading into danger!
Reading through this book was a great reminder. Time is short. She needs to know I’ll take a few minutes to stop and watch her. She needs to know I’m willing to listen. She needs to learn how to learn. She needs to watch me love her mom. She needs to me to encourage her as she grows into a lady.
I won’t do it all perfectly, but these are the daughters God has given me to raise, and I’ll trust that He will take care of the many imperfections on my end.
Almost every time I pray aloud for my kids, I include praying for their “future husbands” and I pray that “I can’t wait to see what God is going to do with my daughter.” I want to keep praying those prayers as my daughters grow up.