A new dad turned to Reddit for advice on how to raise his little girl and the replies were surprisingly heartwarming – 17 tips everyone can learn from

Reddit sells itself as the heart of the internet, but most people would agree that it’s more of a refuge for sarcastic contrarians than a place of sincere advice.

However a question set by meh2280 bucks that trend. Posted on r/AskReddit, this query brought out the best side of the website and provided some genuinely useful parenting advice at the same time:

‘Girls. What are some of your favorite memories with your dad? What advice do you have for a dad to a little girl?’

The best advice we can give you is to listen to these top replies…

1.

‘He read to us every single night.

‘We took a walk together every single day, even if it was just a short one.

‘He encouraged my enthusiasm and my curiosity.

‘He learned about the things I was interested in so we could talk about them.

‘He isn’t perfect, and he’s made his share of mistakes, but he’s always encouraged me to be my own person and consider what I do and why instead of following the crowd or taking the path of least resistance.’
-essential-NPC

2.

‘I loved when my dad showed interest in things I liked. He would play with my toys with me when I was a kid and then go to the movies with me and see movies I wanted to see when I was a teen. It made me want to be interested in his interests as well. I think it creates better bonds when you can hold meaningful conversations about each other’s likes and hobbies when you are more involved. Like if I told him about a book I liked, he would read it also. He’d go to my summer beach volleyball games I’d play for fun with my friends when nobody else’s parents went because it wasn’t like a school sanctioned sport. Idk he took a greater interest in actually getting to know me than my mom did and I’m just closer to my dad than my mom because of that. There’s a million more examples that I can’t think of off the top of my head but I think you get what I’m saying.’
-mrsbeequinn

3.

‘My dad and I used to watch Star Trek together. And then when he used to teach me how to work on his Jeep, he’d pretend we were fixing our spaceship. He made sure that when I was sixteen, I got a Jeep that looked just his and was something I knew how to work on. He made everything feel fun, while teaching me practical things.’
-sacredsquirtlesquad

4.

‘Always tell her how proud you are of her. Help her to do the things she’s most afraid of.’
-DJzzzzzzs

5.

‘My dad would make projects out of teaching me stuff I was interested in (which was most things he was excited about explaining). It was a great way to spend dedicated time together.

‘Lots of shitty memories too. Don’t be a dick. Most importantly, don’t be arbitrary in your parenting. If you promise something, follow through. If there’s a punishment, it should be a known and expected consequence. Predictability is the most important thing to young kids.’
-Catharas

6.

‘My favorite memory is when he walked me down the aisle. He took my hand and gave it to my husband, and told him to have me home by 10. I was 48 at the time.

‘But I’ll tell you my most visceral memory, and that will lead to my advice to you. My mother died of a TBI. Literally 8 hours from when she fell to when she took her last breath. I took my father home from the hospital. I hugged him and told him I loved him. And he didn’t say it back. The more I thought of it after that, the more I realized that he had never actually said those words to me. I know he loved me, but, never hearing those words, especially now that he’s gone too, is something that will stay with me forever.

‘So tell your daughter that you love her. Even when she’s a teenager and rolls her eyes at it. Tell her every day.’
-occasionallystabby

7.

‘Just listen to your daughter and pay attention to how it looks like she’s feeling. My dad dragged me to all kinds of things that were maybe supposed to be fun but I didn’t really like. A really nice memory I have with my dad is of going to Disneyland. I really wanted to ride the magic teacups and he went on the ride with me even though looking back at the photos I don’t think he had as much fun spinning in circles as I did. He also went to some plays I was in (I did theater summer school and some school plays) and actually paid attention to my parts so he could talk to me about them afterward.’
-ComfortabletheSky

8.

‘Favorite: Probably when we used to go to arcades and then eat afterward

‘Advice: Don’t sexualize her from a young age(or ever) and never bodyshame her. And don’t ever hold her accountable for a predator’s behavior.’
-Curious-Pie-1053

9.

‘Make sure she knows you love her, and you wanted her to be born. Or else she’ll be fixing that attachment wound the rest of her life.’
-Equivalent_Hawk6607