Are you doing everything you can to win your daughter’s heart? While it’s true we all love our daughters, we often fall short of winning their hearts. We may spend time with them, care for them, and provide for them, but are we really pursuing their love?
Constant Pursuit
Remember when you first started dating your wife? Think about the deep desire you had for her. Chances are you pursued her heart with every ounce of your being. Your daughter needs her father pursuing her heart much in the same way. Few things will fill a little girl’s heart more than her father acting out his love for her.
Along with praying for our daughters regularly, we can also invest in their lives. What is your daughter struggling with right now? Try to see life from her perspective. Every young woman is different, but they will all respond positively to a father who lovingly pursues them.
How You Treat Your Wife
Actions speak louder than words. The way you treat your wife will trickle down into your daughter’s self-image and perspective on men. If you walk into the house, smack your wife on the behind, and plop in front of the TV, your daughter’s self-worth will be impacted. Your daughter won’t see that you are just exhausted or had a bad day. She will see that dad treats mom like an appliance. Worse, she will begin believing that’s all she is, too.
Having a loving, attentive marriage is a great way to give your daughter an appropriate model of what marriage and relationships should look like. Practice appreciation everyday. Tell your wife you appreciate her and are proud of how much she does for your family. Instill words of gratitude in your home that will sow seeds of change in your daughter. Girls need to grow up seeing their dad being a kind, appreciative man who builds up his wife. Think about how you want your future son-in-law to treat your daughter. Model that behavior in your marriage.
Date Nights & Quality Time
Having regular one-on-one time with your daughter is important. This may look different for everyone, since every daughter is different. Some men may take their daughters on dates, others may share long walks with their daughters. Find the things that light up your daughter and do those things with them.
Date nights serve two main purposes. First, a date shows your daughter that you desire to spend quality time with her. Second, date nights give you the opportunity to show your daughter how she should be treated. If your daughter is raised seeing a real gentleman treat her with respect and dignity, she will be less likely to date a loser. Fathers need to engage their daughters and ask them questions. Build a close relationship through quality time!
Winning the heart of your daughter requires a lot of the things we are currently lacking as a culture. Dads need to dig down deep and find that extra time, energy, and drive to invest in our daughters. No matter what, your daughter needs to know you will love her and protect her through any situation. As your daughter grows, the world becomes a more perilous place for her. A safe harbor and place of constant strength for women of all ages can and should be their fathers. Start winning your daughter’s heart today.
- Watch the video together or invite someone to summarize the topic.
- What is your initial reaction to this video? Do you disagree with any of it? What jumped out at you?
- If your daughter could do one thing for fun, what would that one thing be?
- What lights your daughter up? (think about an activity or concept that she never stops talking about).
- Name three things you could do this week to invest in your daughter. Why are these three things important?
- If a stranger asked your daughter to name the best thing about her dad, what do you think she would say? Why?
- What is one thing you could do in your marriage that would have an effect on your daughter’s self-worth?
- Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
