As the father to two little girls, this book made it on my reading list a few months back. Now that my eldest is moving beyond her toddler years, I thought it was a good time to read it.

The book is a challenging read. Every chapter is full of dozens of pieces of practical advice for the reader. Conversation topics, data, research, parenting ideas, and very specific ways in which to help your daughter grow into a mature, well-adjusted adult.

Repeated throughout is the idea that a daughter’s relationship with her father is the most important that she will have throughout her entire life. She will have many important relationships, but none will have a broader impact or shade her worldview.

This is a book that I will have to re-read several times in the coming years. It’ll be a great resource as my daughters and I navigate our relationship and their coming of age in the world.

Would I recommend: YES

ISBN: 9781621573302

The job of being a father is under appreciated today. Our society spends too much time attacking people that we’re envious of. A by-product has been the sidelining of men writ large. We’ve chipped away so much at the essence of masculinity that men find little direction in their lives. A lack of expectations leaves us confused and adrift. This is a dangerous formula for men who take on the mantle of fatherhood.

I have two daughters, and I am aware of how much is riding on our relationship. The way they see the world and interact with other people is though our relationship. If they feel loved, safe, and cared for, they will grow into healthy, well adjusted women. If they feel forgotten or unimportant, they will muddle through life questioning themselves. They will live life mired in self-doubt.

Fatherhood is best understood through the relationship between a man and his daughter. Men play a vital role in their marriages, families, and the lives of their children. Their active presence is a necessary component to a stable home.

It’s why I’ve never liked to hear about how daughters have their daddy’s wrapped around their fingers. To me, that statement misunderstands the role of the father. I know the importance of setting clear and consistent boundaries because of my love for them.

True strength, true masculinity, requires authentic servant leadership. I serve my daughters because I love them. I maintain a clean household because its our shared living space. I give them treats and affection because they are special to me and I love them. That’s also the reason I put them in timeout and enforce our family rules.

In a society that prefers abdication, I refuse to budge. These are my children, and I will lead them, and I will serve them.