Raising girls is much different than raising boys. Girls tend to be more emotional, affectionate, and have different methods of logical thinking. For the father who may feel overwhelmed about how to raise a daughter, these tips may help keep you on task.
- Horseplay – Although rough-housing is common in most households, girls tend to be more sensitive to physical violence. There are exceptions to every rule, of course. However, rough-housing with your girls could turn them into Tomboys. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but if you want your daughter to be pretty in pink with dance recitals in the future, it may become difficult to keep her interests unless someone is being thrown around the room.
- Interactivity – Children are excited when mommy or daddy plays with them with his or her toys. Daughters especially like it when Daddy stops in for a tea party. It may not be the most ideal situation for the macho-man inside of you, but it will bring a level of togetherness with your daughter that is worth the expense of your pride.
- Language – For some of us, curtailing our language can be a bit difficult. We should always watch ourselves around children, but there are a few words that can really affect girls. While most boys can just shrug off language, girls tend to be more sensitive especially to meanings of certain words.
- Social Acceptance – One of the more difficult lessons to teach young daughters is the difference of social acceptance between them and boys. While it’s OK for boys to run around topless in public, some cultures frown on it if girls do so. Bathroom usage is another social lesson, but seems to be far easier than to teach a three-year-old streaker to keep her shirt on.
- Role Models – As many girls will find husbands later in life who resemble their fathers, it is imperative that you be the best father you can be. Your personality traits and mannerisms may hold a key to how your daughter handles relationships in her future. Your actions could cause a ripple effect in her life that will impact a great deal of her decisions as she matures.
- Sensitivity – Girls need a more sensitive impact on their life as children. While you may think that some reactions are silly and immature, girls can delve fairly deep into an emotional state if you’re not careful with your words. Most girls just want a listener without comments or suggestions.
- Drama – No matter how much you try to prevent it from happening, there will always be some form of drama regarding your daughter. Some may be less inclined to adorn the queen’s crown, but you might as well prepare for it. It’s not always a good idea to deal with dramatics using sarcasm or belittling comments. She will need you to be calm when she’s not.
- Presence – All children require a presence from their fathers. In some cases, it could be difficult to manage time. However, being there for your child has to be a priority in your life and nothing should come between you and your family. Make time in your life to be with your daughter, or she’s going to learn to get along without you throughout her entire life.
Although the basic needs of all children are the same, girls require a different mindset on certain aspects of learning. Many girls need constant reassurance of affection from the parents and it’s not uncommon for a daughter to pay more attention to the father, as in the saying, “Daddy’s little girl”. Just try to be sensitive when it comes time for the dreaded “birds and the bees” talk.