Fathers and Daughters

What do you call it when seven girls, one little boy, and two dads spend a weekend away in a humble A-frame cabin on a beautiful lake? The best weekend, ever. Last Thursday my husband and our children along with his friend, Joe, and his daughters went away for one last excursion before the new school year would start. I went along for one night but for the rest of the weekend it was clearly a fathers-daughters weekend.

The weekend included a campfire, s’mores, hot dogs, old VHS movies, swimming, and being pulled by a speed boat on a 3 person tube doing doughnuts over and over and over on the lake in hopes someone would be thrown off to the cheers of many riding in the boat. My husband, Rob, is an amazing father. These types of weekends happen with regularity because he takes his role as a father quite seriously. From the moment my oldest daughter, Abigail, was born, Rob relished in his responsibilities as a father of a daughter. He has guided our children with empathy, compassion, understanding, discipline, and unconditional love. He volunteers at school, regularly takes the kids on father-daughters (and now father-daughters-and son getaways) to strengthen the bond between parent and child. Even as I write this, my husband just whisked the kids off to the Seattle Mariners game so I can get a break. Go Rob!

While I was pregnant with Abigail, Rob participated in a parenting class at a local hospital just for new dads. The teacher must have done something right because Rob came home with a deep sense of responsibility to raise our daughter to the best of his ability. He is known among my family and friends as “the dad who is very involved” in the lives of our children and I’m so thankful. Rob invests as much as he can now because we both realize there is a day coming in the near future when other “boys” will grab the attention and affections of our daughters and we hope and pray the time we spend with them now will make a difference as they grow older. And it certainly helps to have wonderful friends and family who also invest in our kids.

What I’m even more thankful for is the very fact that Rob is not alone in his fathering adventures. He has other dad friends who are also very active in the lives of their children and together they go away on these fun trips.

This last trip was special because Rob’s friend, Joe, was joining them for the weekend. Joe is an amazing single dad to four amazing daughters and is the primary caretaker of them. I’m always in awe of my single mom friends who are able to manage and juggle so much work and parenting. But if you were to meet Joe, you would know just how special his relationship to his daughters are. He is their everything, and likewise, they are his everything. He is as active in their lives as any super parent is and to witness their special relationship is very inspiring. Both Rob and Joe are awesome dads.

I was suppose to join them throughout the weekend but because of a crazy incident involving someone accidentally taking my bag at a conference this weekend, I had my car towed, keys lost (but now returned) and no wallet. But in the twenty four hours I enjoyed up at the cabin I was reminded how strong the bond is between fathers and daughters. As a woman myself, I didn’t grow up with an openly affectionate dad. If I fell down, he was not there. And if he was present, I was told to get up and get over it. I understand my father’s parenting skills had a lot to do with cultural differences. But when you’re six years old, what you want to have happen is for your dad to pick you up, ask if you’re okay, kiss your boo-boo, and make it all better. When my daughters are hurting, Rob does everything in his power to make sure they feel safe, love, and secure. This doesn’t just apply to physical pain but to emotional and spiritual matters as well. I know Joe is very similar to Rob in the way they view their role and active participation in fathering.

Watching Rob and Joe this weekend I gained a greater appreciation for the role fathers play in the lives of daughters. They fill a need a mother simply cannot fill. The same can be said about mothers. There are certain things only moms can do fathers cannot. I appreciate dads out there.. and I have a deep respect for single dads, like Joe, who are not only great fathers, but doing the best they can as a single parent. I tip my baseball cap to all the great daddios out there. You are appreciated, admired, and loved.

And for your laughing pleasure… Dad Life.

Tagged as: daughters, fathers, life journey, Parenting