Father Daughter Relationship: Relationship Between Dad and Daughter

Father has a prime role to play in the life of his daughter. He is the first male that a girl comes across and hence, becomes the role model of her life. She sees the reflection of men in the rest of the world, through her dad and often perceives that all men should be like her father. Right from her childhood to adolescence to adulthood, he plays an influential role in her life. He is the guide, the savior, the protector, a friend and most importantly, the ultimate caretaker, who nourishes her in the loving and protective atmosphere set by him. She would find her daddy assuming a multi-faceted role, which changes with changing phases of life.

Although fathers are bestowed a primary role in their daughter’s life, many of them don’t realize the importance of interactions with their daughters, especially when the girls surpass the stage of childhood and become adolescent. The most common reason behind this is common perception of the men, according to which, their role as the ‘significant parent’ is just limited to the childhood of their daughters, and doesn’t go beyond it. They think that their daughters have become too old to get closer. As a result, they tend to withdraw from the prime role of the parent and handover it to their significant half – their daughter’s mother.

Fathers find themselves drift apart from their adolescent daughter, especially when it comes to sharing the best kept girly secrets. Their daughters think that not everything can be disclosed to their father and resort to their mother for the purpose. Communication for a father becomes even more difficult, when the girl reaches adulthood. Parenting issues for him become a bit complicated, especially when the girl reaches adulthood and transforms from merely a girl to a woman. At this stage of life, she finds her mother to take the lead (as the parent), when it comes to interacting with parents. Although a girl needs her mother the most at this point of time, fathers should realize that their role as a parent is never over and that the girl still needs her dad.

Gender difference is a major factor for such a situation. However, the issues pertaining to interaction of father with his grown up girl can be easily resolved. All it needs is the clear understanding of the fact that the girl has matured and needs to be freed from being nestled by fatherhood. However, the father should not forget that all through his daughter’s life, he is one among the significant men in her life and that his role as a parent never ends. If he manages to mark his pronounced presence in every stage of life of his daughter, then the relationship with his daughter can prove to be the best of all.