“It’s up to us to say to our daughters, don’t ever let images on TV tell you what you are worth, because I expect you to dream without limit and reach for those goals.”

~Barack Obama

We talk so often about the importance of girls having role models to look to, and to see that there are women who were once girls just like them, who followed their dreams. We want every girl to know about women’s stories from history, to learn about the women who kicked open doors so that now they can walk through and pursue their own paths and kick some of their own doors for other girls to follow.

For every girl, it is equally important for them to know to their core that they have a cheering squad, the people who love them, who believe in them, and who always help them pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and get right back in that race. Sound familiar? If you are lucky enough this cheering section starts with your Dad. For a girl, a Dad can be a hero, but he is also her foundation. Her Dad can be her greatest ally, coach, teacher…Her Dad is the one who slays the dragons under the bed, and the one who instills in her a sense that there is nothing she cannot do and that she can in fact slay her own dragons when she needs to. And when she falls, and she will, he is there to make sure she doesn’t quit.

While ensuring that every girl has access to mentors who can show her the way and help build her confidence we need to be sure that we are also looking to the men and boys in her life. When we talk about gender equity we cannot exclude the men and boys in a girl’s world out of that important conversation. For a girl to believe in her own power she needs to see and to know that the men and boys in her life believe in her too. Knowing they are there for her journey and stand with her as she pushes her walls and grows her confidence is essential to holding on to that confidence as she grows and tests her powers.

A girl’s Dad is also a model, the model of what a man can and should be for her, supporting, listening, encouraging, and loving. Knowing she can try her wings with a safe landing can start with her Dad. Understanding the positive and supporting role a man can, and should have, in her life, begins with her Dad as well. The relationship a daughter has with her Dad helps her to gain a sense of empowerment from the love and encouragement she receives. She will be rooted in the knowledge that she is strong, she is smart and she can do anything! She will carry the confidence to not only use her mind but speak her mind. She will grow to be independent and walk her own path knowing that if she encounters obstacles or roadblocks she can overcome them. This can all start with a Dad, a Dad who knows that every girl can and should have the same opportunities as the boys on the field, a Dad who sets the bar for how girls view the role men will have in her life.

“She did not stand alone, but what stood behind her, the most potent moral force in her life, was the love of her father.”

~ Harper Lee

While every man a girl encounters and interacts with in her journey may not always provide or demonstrate the same attitude and positive support as her Dad, a Dad instills tools of how to handle the nay-sayers. With confidence and a core belief that she belongs in the room, she can handle her own emotions in situations of disrespect and conquer those dragons who want to dismiss her simply because she is a girl.

“Being a daddy’s girl is like having permanent armor for the rest of your life.”

~ Marinela Reka

The term “Daddy’s Girl” very often has negative connotations, but it shouldn’t. It doesn’t matter if you are your Dad’s Princess, that just means he has given you the power to be, to go forward with strength, and confidence, and to believe in your own power to follow your dreams.

A girl’s Dad is the one who leaves his daughter a gift to be opened whenever she needs it, long after he is gone...the gift that she is loved, the gift that there is always someone who believes in her, the gift that helps her stand on her own feet and move forward knowing This Girl Can! Change the World.

Reading with your Dad is a special gift. Visit A Mighty Girl! to find great books about Dads and Daughters.