03/09/2021
A daughter needs a dad to be the standard in which she will judge all men.”
They say a father is a daughter’s first true love. He’s the one she looks for to chase away the monsters under her bed, to wipe away the tears after a nightmare and to kiss the bruises and cut up knees from falling off of her bike.
He’s there to teach her the difference between right and wrong, and even if you’re wrong that there’s always someone in your corner. A good dad make’s sure his daughter knows she’s a princess and deserves nothing less than prince charming, and when it turns out that prince charming was more like a frog he’s supposed to help mend your broken heart. A good dad is supposed to remind you constantly that you are beautiful, smart, a good person and that you can always trust him to be in your corner.
At least that’s what they tell you.
The truth is not all girls get to experience what it’s like to have a dad play a large role in their life. They have to grow up teaching themselves how to be tough, how to change a tire or how to pick themselves up when they have no one to run to. They also have to teach themselves how to trust other men coming into their lives and hope that they won’t leave us as disappointed as you.
I never experienced what it was like to be a “daddy’s girl”. We didn’t spend the weekends making breakfast together, or you teaching me how to survive in the real world. You weren’t there for my birthday parties, father daughter dances or any holiday in between. Instead I experienced what it was like to not understand why you weren’t like my friend’s fathers.