Daddy's Girl

Most people who know me consider me to be a "Daddy's girl." As the saying goes, "I had him wrapped around my little finger." When I was young, my father would give me almost anything I asked for. I didn't ask for much anyway. But if I wanted something, like a new pair of jeans or a pair of shoes or a new outfit, I could always ask my father for the money to get what I wanted. My Daddy loved me then, and in spite of the difficulties my family has struggled with the past more than several years, he still loves me. I am his pride and joy (I'm not saying this to be arrogant at all; I just know how my father feels about me, and I know many other women whose fathers feel the same way about their daughters).

Today, my daughter and I went to school without my husband. My husband usually travels with us in the morning, but he needed to stay home today to complete a huge, major writing project. So this evening after I picked up A. from daycare, we had a different sort of ride home. A. wasn't as vocal as she normally is when her daddy is riding with us. But all that changed when we drove up to the entrance of the subdivision. When she saw the sign greeting us to our subdivision, she yelled out, "Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy!!!" in rapid succession. During that moment (as in others) I saw how important Daddies are in the life of their daughers.

I love watching my husband and my daughter play with each other. She enjoys him so much, and he enjoys her immensely. I see the major impact he has made on her already during her short life (aside from looking too much like him and not enough like me). He disciplines her lovingly but sternly, and after it's all said and done, she's right back in his arms to have "tummy time" or to just look at him with those big, lovely brown eyes.

For those of us who are mothers, it's important for us to understand how positively a father can impact his children. Even if you are not a mother, we all need to look at fathers and acknowledge how crucial they are to a child's well-being. Don't get me wrong - I know mothers have that special mo-jo for their children to which fathers may not have access. But they have their own formula, and responsible, caring men who are responsible, caring fathers partake of and impart that formula so that their sons and daughters (like Avia) will know how much they are truly loved and cherished as special, precious, marvelous people.

So if you know someone who is a father, encourage him and thank him for being the wonderful father God destined him to be. I know he may not be perfect (lol!), but being Daddy's little girl, it matters not.

(Disclaimer: Of course, there are men who are abusive to those around them - in which case they still need encouragement, but it may need to be in the form of reproof, correction, counseling, etc. I am not a mental health or legal professional - this is not medical or legal advice.)