Do you think fathers are just as important to their daughters as mothers?

@ersmommy1 (12588)
United States
November 21, 2008 9:26am CST
I have never had a great relationship with my dad. Ever, really. We don't talk, and don't know much about each other. At this point I am not sure I'd care to learn. But my daughter is extremely close to my hubby. I think this is a good thing. My hope is because my husband is such a part of her daily goings on, she will be secure and confident. Hopefully she will make better relationship choices than I first did. What do you think?
4 people like this
20 responses
• United States
21 Nov 08
i am VERY close to my dad... i am not close to my mom until i had my kids and now she is my best friend but my daughter is closed to her step mom and dad. i try to teach her to spend time with all of us so she dosnt choose me or her dad because i hated not being close to my mom . now i realize how inportant it is to have them both now that i have kids
1 person likes this
@lilybug (21107)
• United States
21 Nov 08
I personally never really liked my dad. He was a jerk. He still is a jerk. My daughter does not have a really close relationship with her dad. She does not see him often enough to be that close to him. When she is around him though, she loves the heck out of it. I think it is important, but not imperative to a decent future.
@ersmommy1 (12588)
• United States
21 Nov 08
Obviously! I am not close to my dad, and I have a pretty good life. But it is nice for my daughter to have the leg up.
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
21 Jan 09
I didn't have a great relationship with the male figure in my life. He was my stepfather. I didn't know my real dad he passed away and I never got to meet him. I don't even have a picture. which saddens me. But my relationship with my stepfather was rocky and we still don't see eye to eye on alot of things. It gladdens my heart to hear that your husband is such a big part of your daughters life. That he might guide her in having a better life and maybe to make better choices. If we could all be so lucky I think this world would definitely be a better place if fathers did take more interest in their kids lives and choices.Not to control but to guide.
@quinnkl (1667)
• United States
24 Nov 08
I absolutely do. I am very close to my father. We are very much alike. He is my hero and the one I admire most even now. I admire his work ethic and his honesty and I hope that I can carry that on. I think it just depends on the father in question. My dad never treated his daughters differently than his sons. We all worked, we all laughed and played growing up. There are so many dynamics at work in families, and I think it stems from that.
• United States
1 Dec 08
A daughter needs to be close to her mother because, as she gets older, there are things she will not be able to talk to her dad about. Guys, body changes, whatever... my older sister talks to mom about intimate details of personal relationships. (Not to get the discussion flagged.) Once a daughter starts dating, things change between her and her father. Often, fathers get jealous. After all, they feel like they are being replaced. Mothers don't really have to go through this. I think that's why the saying goes, "A son is your son until he takes him a wife, a daughter's your daughter for the rest of your life."
@umart13 (841)
• Ireland
22 Nov 08
Hello ersmommy1, it's a difficult topic to answer. In ideal situations I think both boys and girls should have exposure to a male and female parental figure. The absence of a father figure can have strange effects on children and how they relate to their own children in future years. After World War 2 this absence of father figures in countries like Germany had a massive effect on the whole of society, with subsequent generations finding themselves confused as to their roles. I would add though that it is always better for children to grow up in a healthy one-parent family than a violent or abusive two-parent family. Children need the best role-models they can get. Have a good weekend. Umart
@rusty2rusty (6763)
• Defiance, Ohio
22 Nov 08
I am not close to my father. But I do care and love for him very much. I am pretty sure he loves me to. My teenage son is very close to my current husband (not his father) but not me. I am glad he is close to my current husband. He is alot like his real father ina lot of ways. I think that is why we are not so close. As he is the same sign as his fathers. His zodic sign and mine collide. So, I am glad he has a great role model like my husbands.
@silverglint (2000)
• Philippines
22 Nov 08
I agree that the dad will be the source of a child's sense of security and value. If a child is properly loved by the father, he/ she will grow up to be more confident and their self-esteem will be high as compared to those who were not give time by their dads. Ive known of people who are constantly going in and out of relationships and usualy they do not have a close relationship with their dad. I've also known of people who spouse is their first relationship and they are the ones who have have great dads.
@gemini_rose (16264)
22 Nov 08
Yes I do, I mean I would not class myself as being particularly close to my dad. But there again I was not that close to either of them they have always treated me as daughter and the balance of the relationship never changed as I became older so it was always hard to get close to any of them. My daughter though is two and she has a fantastic bond with her dad and I love that it is nice to see how she is with him even though sometimes I feel that she loves him more! But I do not mind, I hope that it serves her well as she gets older and like you hope that she grows to be confident and makes good choices, unlike me!
@Chispa514 (871)
• Montreal, Quebec
22 Nov 08
Yes I think that fathers are just as important to daughters as mothers are. I'm very close with my dad, more so than I am with my mom. I couldn't imagine what my life would be like without my dad in it.
@kasouyumi (165)
• United States
22 Nov 08
Fathers are a girls best friend. To me at least. If you haven't had a friendly relationship with your dad, then you may feel different. But a father is the only man who will be closest to a woman. She learns alot about men and how guys think just from observing her dad,which is why fathers should always be good to their daughts and the wifes, and their sons. If I wanted to get into a relationship with another guy, I'd want him to be just like my father, loving, protecting, nurturing, and secure with me.
@bing28 (3795)
• Philippines
22 Nov 08
Oh yes I think the fathers and mothers are equally important to their daughters more especially when they grow together with both of them. Although mothers are special as usually they focused on taking good care of their children. However realizing that most of the time the fathers are the great provider, the children take sides to the father as well. Remember when a couple breaks up, poor children they don't know whom to go with, to the father or to the mother as they are equally important to them.
• India
22 Nov 08
yes fathers are just important as mother to daughters..dad makes me feel secure and he guides us in right path as he knows the world..he works all the time for and earns money to make our future secure
• Philippines
22 Nov 08
yeah i believe so. i may not be that open to my dad with regards to my everyday life, but i can't imagine a day without him. as for me, both my mom and dad are the most important people in my life.
@getnbuy (1312)
• United States
22 Nov 08
A therapist told my husband , once, that his relationship with his daughter was far more important than his relationship with hi s son. Girls need their fathers and if they don't get the attention they need they often go looking for it in boy friends.
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
22 Nov 08
Fathers are very important to daughters as well as with sons. A girl learns just how she should be treated by a man by the way the father treats her and her mother. A son learns just how to treat a woman as he sees how his father treat his mother. I didn't have a relationship with either my mother or my father. And it has affected the way I feel about my self. All girls should have their fathers showing them respect as well as their mother.
@Modestah (11179)
• United States
21 Nov 08
definately I always felt closer to my father - felt more at ease to confide in him. I love both my parents very much, but I could always relate better to my Daddy RIP †
@rainmark (4302)
21 Nov 08
For me, i can say that father is really important to their daughters because they serves as thier protector and they feel safe with them coz they know someone will protect them from harm. Happy posting.
@SaintAnne (5453)
• United States
21 Nov 08
My father was the most important person in my life, growing up. Until now.
@ronnyb (6113)
• Jamaica
21 Nov 08
Yes I think so ,I think that her farther will teach her how she should be treated by a man.Often many girls date older men with a view to replace missing farther in her life.