Father - Daughter Proverbs

I'm just finishing up the new book by James Dobson entitled Bringing Up Girls. It has been an amazing book for me and I would highly recommend anyone who is attempting to raise a daughter these days to pick up a copy - sooner than later. I stumbled on many useful facts, ideas, suggestions that I'm hoping to put into practice. Many that I already have. But chapter 10 was hilarious and heartwarming and I couldn't not share some of these "short proverbs" compiled by Harry Harrison that Dr. Dobson included in his book. I didn't include all of them but the list still turned out to be quite lengthy. I do hope you get a chance to read through them. They are worth the time and effort.

Sit back and enjoy...

*Accept the fact that your little girl will melt your heart anytime she chooses

*Take part in her life now. Don't wait until she's 15 to try and develop a relationship

*Remember, if you yell at a boy not to play with a wall socket, he'll either stomp off or do it anyway. A girl will cry.

*Her mom will show her how to bake chocolate chip cookies. You show her how to dunk them in milk

*Be prepared to watch Walt Disney movies with her some 200 times. Each.

*Never lose the wonder of watching her and her mother together.

*Trust her mom to understand the mystery of little girls. You have yet to figure out the mystery of big ones

*Never, ever, make fun of her

*Give her a picture of you to put in her first purse. If you're lucky, she'll always carry a photo of you

*Make her a Valentines Day card - every year

*Keep her secrets. This way she will begin to trust men

*Never argue with her mom in front of her. As hard as it may be, walk away

*Teach her patience, kindness, and tolerance. If you don't, many years from now you'll wish you had

*Teach her to read between the lines. Remember, though, that she will probably have a better natural ability for this than you

*Encourage her to be kind. Even to the girl nobody likes

*Remember, she needs a strong self-image before she becomes an awkward teen. A father's love can make all the difference

*Accept the fact that the loving, tender angel you've spent the last decade with may disappear sometimes. She will return

*Remember, teenage girls spend hours in their room doing something. No man has ever really figured out what that something is.

*Once she begins to develop physically and sexually, don't pull away from her

*Remind her that the most sacred thing between a father and daughter is trust

*Remember, when you're dealing with a 13 year old girl, for all intents and purposes, you're dealing with a fruitcake

*There will be days when you think you've raised an alien. Those are the same days she feels she's being raised by one

*The day she's born, ask God to guide you in all aspects of raising her

*You will have to teach her how to drive...without making her cry

*Odd-looking boys will start showing up at your house. This is to be expected because adolescent boys are odd-looking

*Let her see, by the way you treat your wife, the way a man is supposed to treat a woman

*Teach her how to look a boy in the eye and say "No"

*Remember, every girl's heart gets broken. There's nothing you can do to fix it. Hunting down the boy won't help. On the other hand, she will also break a few hearts herself

*Take long walks with her. If you just listen, she'll eventually tell you everything that's on her mind

*Remember you're her definition of a man

*Have a look around her room. Take a moment to look at her pictures, her photos, her keepsakes. These are her memories. This was the childhood you gave her

*Prepare for the day when you're not the most important man in her life

*Tell her she is the daughter you always dreamed about

*In the end, let her go