Please do not click on this picture unless you are a father - or son, mother or daughter.

Please do not click on this picture unless you are a father - or son, mother or daughter.


Originally shared by Tshaka “Villain McBeardface” Armstrong

#FatherhoodFriday

Doing Your Daughter's Hair

I remember when my own daughter was first born and I changed her diaper for the first time. I was so lost! I took the diaper off to clean/change her and wiped from back to front (that's the sound of all the women who follow me gasping) and my wife yelled out at me, "What are you doing?"

Well, I thought I was changing a diaper but apparently I was #doingitwrong . For those who don't have daughters, you never wipe them from back to front, only front to back. You see, they have different plumbing than us, delicate plumbing that us guys aren't used to having to think about... which is what I reminded my wife of by pointing to my nether regions. She actually just laughed and said, "oh yeah, that's right." No longer annoyed, she took the time to explain to me why cleaning a girl in the appropriate manner was so important and I never made that same mistake again.

On a much lighter note, I remember that one of my favorite times with my young girl was doing her hair for school. It was probably a bit of ego as dads weren't known for their ability to be able to do hair. Well, dammit, she's my daughter and I wasn't going to have anyone think I wasn't capable of providing for any of my daughter's needs so I decided to master the practice. Thankfully my wife was supportive (heck, she got some laughs out of it) and the women at my daughter's school were as well, because the first day my daughter went to daycare with daddy as her stylist... it was clear to all who saw her that I was the one who'd done her hair. They thought it was cute that I'd tried. Lol. Eventually though, I did master the practice and actually got her parts and pigtails tidy and even learned more than one hair style.

I really love being a dad to a daughter! It is a very special parenting relationship which has some unique benefits for both men and girls, according to many studies. Those benefits are important as our daughters get older face some of the tougher challenges life has to offer. Tougher still if we don't take the time to invest in creating strong bonds, so I started the International Daddy Daughter Tea Date to encourage dads to connect with their daughters in a way that communicates significance and value so they are less likely to engage in some of the attention-seeking behaviors associated with sexting and other risky online activities.

You can see a video of some dads talking about their experiences with enjoying a Daddy Daughter Tea event here: What Is Daddy Daughter Tea Day?

Would you help me spread the word about this event by sharing this post with other dads, parents and daughters (you're never too old to sit down with dad for tea)? The eventual goal is to get a Presidential Proclamation for one day a year to be a nationally recognized Daddy Daughter Day. Thanks!