9 Reasons Why You Should Appreciate Your Dad

This Father's Day, take some time to consider all the things dads do.

By Teresa Maples-Zuvela — Written on Jun 13, 2012

9 Reasons Why You Should Appreciate Your Dad [EXPERT]

Daughters are vulnerable, and as babies, they need protection and care from their mother and father. Both parents have a role to play in their daughter's development, even though families come in different shapes and sizes these days. There are single-parent households, remarried-parent households, and the more traditional married households.

In all cases, every daughter needs a male role model, even if he is a stand-in father. How daughters relate to males is based on what they observe and experience with their own fathers or father stand-ins. Let's take a look at fathers and celebrate how a father's love protects his daughter. Since father's are doers, let's also celebrate what they do.

1. Fathers work to provide financial resources for things like clothing, food, and shelter. He spends his time and energy working, so his family can benefit from his toils. He takes great pride in his work accomplishments and ability to financially provide for their family. A daughter benefits by experiencing that her basic needs are provided and met.

2. Fathers do chores around the house to help out the family, most of us are familiar with the proverbial honey do list. A father gets a sense of accomplishment when he finishes a project that benefits his family. A daughter, then, learns she is valuable and worthy of the labor of another.

3. When a father spends time with his daughter, he lets her know she is important and special to him. Daughters will be loyal to their father's relationship and abide by his wishes if she feels he values her. Daughters have a built in need for acceptance. The safest place to feel accepted is with a father. If he doesn't spend time with her she will have an unmet need and will fall prey to the first male who showers her with attention. How Can I Protect My Kids From Sexual Abuse?

4. When a father understands his daughter and validates her feelings, he brings emotional closeness and belonging to them both. This eliminates the need to seek solace with someone outside the family.