Nearly every time I ask a father of a daughter if he’s learned anything from having a daughter, the answer is “Yes!”
What’s striking about having a daughter is her very candid, heart-felt comments. With your spouse, there’s always a kind of sense of caution or carefulness. You have to avoid treading on the other person’s psychology too much; you’ve got to live with them. There’s kind of an implicit contract there.
But, without too much exaggeration, having a daughter is kind of like having, for a short period of time, a Greek oracle in your life. She’ll go away eventually. But meanwhile she sits there and tells you things that you need to know; that your wife won’t tell you. You have an advantage in life because you have that candor coming out. - David
The more I listen to my daughter, the more I understand about myself. All the mistakes I’ve made (and, no doubt, the mistakes yet to come) provide my daughters with ample opportunity to practice forgiveness, acceptance and seeing the good in people.
But, through my relationship with my daughters, I also learn one of a man’s most important lessons -- that I don’t have to be perfect for someone to love me deeply.
(Adapted from my book Dads and Daughters: How to Inspire, Understand, and Support Your Daughter.
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