Being A Good Dad To Your Teenage Daughter

Your teenage daughter will be very happy for a moment, but extremely miserable in the next. This is what makes it very difficult for you to realize that you are a good father to your daughter. Therefore, you must understand that you play key role in the life of your daughter even if she seems to be interested in everything else other than you.

The very first thing that you must remember is that your daughter is different from your son when it comes to personality traits and relating to you. It is definitely easier for you to communicate with your sons because you consider your son to be a replica of you, you can recall as to how you were as a boy and imagine how he will grow up to become like you. Whether it’s playing sports together; watching the games; sporting matching high-school apparel from Jostens or the likes; you and your son’s bonding often just flows naturally. However, you need to make an effort to convey the same message to your daughter as she grows up.

Therefore, you must walk a mile in your daughter’s shoes. You must recall how you felt as a teenage boy and then empathize with your teenage daughter. Put yourself in your daughter’s shoes and make an attempt to understand as to how difficult it is for your daughter to please herself, you, friends and teachers. Then, you will start realizing as to why she is behaving the way she is and what she wants from you.

According to KidsHealth magazine, you must create expectations as well as consequences for your daughter. She may not like it when you have to tell her that she has to return home before a specific time or cannot go out after a certain time and that she may lose all privileges in the event of missing the curfew. However, being concerned about her wellbeing will make you a good dad. Keeping your teenage daughter safe and healthy is part and parcel of being a good dad. You need to set the rules, boundaries and reasonable expectations for your daughter. This is what ultimately makes you a good dad.

According to Laura Markham, a clinical psychologist, you must be a role model for your teenaged daughter. You must therefore make it a point to respect your daughter, spouse, other kids and everyone else around you. When you do this, you are encouraging your daughter to do the same thing. Giving respect to your daughter and showing her as to how she should respect others will go a long way in helping her respect herself and become better in making better decisions. This in turn will also help her achieve success in life. Respecting self and others is a life skill that she can make use of not only during her teen years, but also as an adult.