Rules for Dads of Daughters

I know this is a day late, but it's too good not to post...

{I have posted this before, but it's very fitting for Father's Day}

My daddy is an amazing man. He's strong, caring, loving, Godly.. I could go on and on. He's my hero. This is for you, daddy. Thank you for showing me how a man should treat a woman. Thank you for being my first true love!

Rules for Dads of Daughters. I'm picking and choosing some of my favorites.. You can find the whole list here. 

1. Love her mom. Treat her mother with respect, honor, and a big heaping spoonful of public displays of affection. When she grows up, the odds are good she’ll fall in love with and marry someone who treats her much like you treated her mother. Good or bad, that’s just the way it is. I’d prefer good.

my momma and daddy's wedding day in 1966

2. Always be there. Quality time doesn’t happen without quantity time. Hang out together for no other reason than just to be in each other’s presence. Be genuinely interested in the things that interest her. She needs her dad to be involved in her life at every stage. Don’t just sit idly by while she add years to her… add life to her years.

3. Save the day. She’ll grow up looking for a hero. It might as well be you. She’ll need you to come through for her over and over again throughout her life. Rise to the occasion. Red cape and blue tights optional.

4. Savor every moment you have together. Today she’s crawling around the house in diapers, tomorrow you’re handing her the keys to the car, and before you know it, you’re walking her down the aisle. Some day soon, hanging out with her old man won’t be the bees knees anymore. Life happens pretty fast. You better cherish it while you can.

5. Pray for her. Regularly. Passionately. Continually.

6. Buy her a glove and teach her to throw a baseball. Make her proud to throw like a girl… a girl with a wicked slider.

7. She will fight with her mother. Choose sides wisely.

8. It’s never too early to start teaching her about money. She will still probably suck you dry as a teenager… and on her wedding day.

9. Teach her to fly kites.

10. Somewhere between the time she turns three and her sixth birthday, the odds are good that she will ask you to marry her. Let her down gently.

11. She’ll probably want to crawl in bed with you after a nightmare. This is a good thing.

12. Few things in life are more comforting to a crying little girl than her father’s hand. Never forget this.

13. Make sure your face lights up any time she enters the room. Do this throughout her life and she will always feel treasured.

14. Dance with her. Start when she’s a little girl or even when she’s a baby. Don’t wait ‘til her wedding day.

15. Learn to say no. She may pitch a fit today, but someday you’ll both be glad you stuck to your guns.

16.  Tell her she’s beautiful. Say it over and over again. Someday an animated movie or “beauty” magazine will try to convince her otherwise.

17. Sometimes a listening ear is all she needs. For everything else, just smile and fix it. Her mom’s not the only one who can safety-pin a dress.

18. Always ask about her day. This is just as important at 2 and 5 as it is when she’s 25.

19. Take her fishing. She will probably squirm more than the worm on your hook. That’s OK.

20.  Take her camping. Immerse her in the great outdoors. Watch her eyes fill with wonder the first time she sees the beauty of wide open spaces. Leave the iPod at home.

21.  She’s as smart as any boy. Make sure she knows that.

22.  Teach her to change a flat. A tire without air need not be a major panic inducing event in her life. She’ll still call you crying the first time it happens.

23.  When she learns to give kisses, she will want to plant them all over your face. Encourage this practice.

24. Never be the first one to break a hug.

25.  Remember, just like a butterfly, she too will spread her wings and fly some day. Enjoy her caterpillar years.

26. She will eagerly await your return home from work in the evenings. Don’t be late.

27. If her mom enrolls her in swim lessons, make sure you get in the pool too. Don’t be intimidated if there are no other dads there. It’s their loss.

28. Let her roll around in the grass. It’s good for her soul. It’s not bad for yours either.

29. Go ahead. Buy her those pearls.

30. There will come a day when she asks for a puppy. Don’t over think it. At least one time in her life, just say, “Yes.”

31. Never miss her birthday. In ten years she won’t remember the present you gave her. She will remember if you weren’t there.

32. Take it easy on the presents for her birthday and Christmas. Instead, give her the gift of experiences you can share together.

33.  Let her know she can always come home. No matter what.

34. Write her a handwritten letter every year on her birthday. Give them to her when she goes off to college, becomes a mother herself, or when you think she needs them most.

35. Learn to trust her. Gradually give her more freedom as she gets older. She will rise to the expectations you set for her.

36. When in doubt, trust your heart. She already does.

37. Ice cream covers over a multitude of sins. Know her favorite flavor.

38. Today she’s walking down the driveway to get on the school bus. Tomorrow she’s going off to college. Don’t blink.

39. Letting her ride on your shoulders is pure magic. Do it now while you have a strong back and she’s still tiny

I love you, daddy. With all my heart!!!

Happy Monday!