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
10.
‘My dad was patient and he was a fantastic listener. He also told me when I was very young that if I saw/experienced anything scary or that I could not explain (like a ghost or whatever) that I could tell him and he would believe me.’
-GDE2015
11.
‘I (32f) love movies and theater. My dad (72m) would take me to movies and shows, even if he didn’t want to see what we saw. He just wanted to spend time together. We still do this from time to time.
‘Take the opportunity to learn about what she likes, maybe there is a museum or a show near you that is in her interest.’
-Stomach-Limp
12.
‘He said a real man bought tampons and pads. So if I needed him to get me some from CVS, he did with no questions asked.
‘He eventually got full custody of me and my younger sister, but prior to that when my mom had custody, he would take me to the movies on the weekends I had with him and we’d see several in a day. We’d also spend hours in the Borders bookstore.
‘He said if I was ever at a party and if the only people who could give me a ride were drunk, he’d give me the money for cab fare (this was before ride shares), no questions asked. I never got into a car with a drunk driver. He also told me if I was ever uncomfortable at a party, I could use him as an excuse to say that I needed to go home.
‘Even though I’m in my 30s, we have similar tastes in music, comedy and movies so we’ve been to several shows together over the years.
‘As for advice, don’t be hypocritical; he lost his virginity in his teens, so he knew he couldn’t tell me not to. He took me to get birth control and told me to always use condoms. I never felt the need to rebel against him.’
-degrassibabetjk
13.
‘Don’t put her in a box. Encourage her and let her fly.’
-SuitIndependent
14.
‘My dad admitted when he was wrong and was open with my siblings and I when he made mistakes, even when I was only 6 or 7 years old. He taught me how to “repair” after a difficult conversation or mistake. My advice would be to try to do this as often as you can. I don’t know many people who had parents that did this, and it would have meant so much to them if their parents had ever apologized or admitted their mistakes. It was more formative for me than I even think he realized at the time.
‘As far as favorite memories.. one of my earliest memories is from when my dad taught me to ride my bike without training wheels. He also had countless tea parties with me and would eat whatever weird concoction I put together for the table – his favorite to bring up was a peanut butter, jelly, and frito sandwich.
‘He was my favorite person and I miss him every day. Your daughter is lucky to have a father who would pose this kind of question.’
-abrog001
15.
‘Just be present.
‘Our dad was super involved with us as little girls. Mom worked second shift so he spent a ton of time with us. He had long hair and would let us do it. We painted his nails. He would sing and dance around the living room with us. Fridays we would get tv dinners and watch classic horror movies. Every couple weeks he would get us all dressed up and take us out to dinner. He would read books to us all the time.
‘He took an interest in whatever we did. I was a super science/tech nerd and he would dutifully look through the microscope at whatever I mold I had grown and listen to me ramble about it. Or listen to my facts of the day about whatever special interest I had. Mostly the Titanic and Harry Potter. He would sit with my sister and draw for hours. Or they would play guitar or drums together.
‘It wasn’t perfect but it was pretty damn close.
‘Now I’m crying in the club. ’
-msplum13
16.
‘Treat her the way you want her future husband to treat her. Take her on dates, one on one time is important. My dad took us camping a lot. Those are some of my favorite memories, just being together without distractions.’
-runbikerace
17.
‘Don’t speak disrespectfully about women in front of her and don’t tolerate it from others.’
-Spoonbills