A Daughter Needs a Dad...

A Daughter Needs a Dad...

to teach her that her value as a person is more than the way she looks.

who will always have time to give her hugs and kisses.

to teach her that she is equal to her husband.

to make tough decisions for her; until she is able to make them for herself.

to tuck her in at night.

to teach her that respect is to be earned, as he has earned hers.

to hold her as she cries.

to carry her just because she wants to be carried.

to teach her how things work.

to show her that true love is unconditional.

to tell her all she needs to know about boys.

to stand with her on the day she marries.

to teach her to spend responsibly, save for a rainy day, and give with a generous heart.
because without him she will have less in her life than she deserves.

These are excerpts from the book, "Why a Daughter Needs a Dad" by Gregory E. Lang. I bought this book for my husband for Fathers Day as a gift from his daughters. There are so many more sitings, 100 in total in fact, and I honestly could have quoted the entire book for you, but sticking to those should suffice for now. A lot of these tell exactly the kind of father that my girls have, and I included some others that display the kind of father I know he will be when the time comes. I read a few of them to him over the phone, including:

"to tell her all she needs to know about boys."

I believe his response to that was something along the lines of broken bones if any of them ever came near his daughters.

If any of you know a father who has been blessed to have a little girl in his life, this is the perfect book for them - even if for no reason at all or even for future fathers.

I skimmed through the book before buying it, and I thought it was sweet. When I got home I pulled it from the shopping bag, and starting from the prologue, I couldn't stop reading until I reached the end. This book encompasses all of the reasons why I chose my husband to be my children's father. Every time I look at him with our daughter, I see such an adoration in his eyes - and in hers.

My truest happiness lies in the happiness of my family, and there is nothing that can compare with the bond between a father and his daughter. Seeing the happiness in the relationship they share with one another is almost overwhelming. I can remember that feeling with my own father when I was very young...

My Dad used to take me to my grandpa George's house so that I could ride horses and eat home jarred olives and pickles and preserves until I was sick.

• "Be kind to thy father, for when thou wert young, Who loved thee so fondly as he? He caught the first accents that fell from thy tongue, And joined in thy innocent glee."
-- Margaret Courtney

My Dad used to take me to the zoo and let me carry the goats when I was 2 years old. I really thought I would take them home one day.

• "When I was a kid, I said to my father one afternoon, 'Daddy, will you take me to the zoo?' He answered, 'If the zoo wants you, let them come and get you.'""
-- Jerry Lewis

My Dad used to play backgammon and monopoly with me - and never let me win. I liked it that way because that way when I won, I knew that I really won.

• "You don't have to deserve your mother's love. You have to deserve your father's. He's more particular."
-- Robert Frost

My Dad wasn't always the greatest, and he made a lot of mistakes. Honestly I still think he is a very irresponsible person who has a lot of growing up to do. However, he did let me know that he loved me. He still does. He knows he wasn't the greatest father, but he is one hell of a grandfather to my babies. He is growing as a person, still, and for that I have to give him credit.

• "Fathers, like mothers, are not born. Men grow into fathers - and fathering is a very important stage in their development."
-- David M. Gottesman

This fathers day, nearly every blog that I read about the fathers in the lives of the writers was depressing, bitter, envious, or even malicious. Everything from baby mama's criticizing deadbeat dad's to abused daughters unable to forgive the past transgressions of their own parent. Why does anyone choose to hold onto so much anger and bitterness? I don't think I will ever understand, and honestly I don't care to.

I thought that maybe in a way to counter all of the negativity I have come across this weekend, I would share this with you all hope that if you get the chance to, you will read this book and maybe appreciate it like I do and take the time to think about the fathers in your life. Even if not your own, there has to be something that a father in your life has done that has impacted you positively in one way or another.

I would love to hear about that memory - please share!