Daddies, don’t fear your daughters – Father-daughter relationship advice from a former bratty teenager

My Dad swears I went up the stairs on the night of my 13th birthday and came down the next morning and had suddenly transformed from delightful Daddy’s Little Girl to every father’s worst fear.

Yeah, it was about thirteen years-old when I started acting upon my inner rebel and making up for lost social time in the years I grew up as a chubby little weirdo who preferred hanging out with their parents than friends.

My Mum and I always butt heads with situations, yet through my teen years I drifted so far away from my Dad that we barely spoke, despite the fact that he continued to love and support me and help me in any way he could.

The thing is, Mums have a connection with their daughters that fathers don’t. Dads don’t know what to do when their daughters reject their attention.

I wish I could go back in time and slap my bitchy self across the face and tell myself “you’re going to regret this you know”.

Last year on Father’s Day, a good friend of mine looked incredibly upset one night out at a local restaurant and I asked him was was wrong. His eyes filled with tears as he told me his sixteen year old daughter responded “No” when he asked if she would like to go for brunch on Father’s Day.

I tried to smile and comfort him by letting him know that it is just a phase. Well I mean, they come around as long as you don’t give up on them.

Teenagers aren’t meant to be teenagers forever, and the ones that spiral out of control are usually the ones that needed a patient mother and father to be strict yet forgiving of their wild behaviour. This patience is not just required during ages 13-whenever they mature into young-adulthood, but throughout life, as parents will always have some disagreements with their child no matter how old they are.

My Dad and I are now best friends. Many of his co-workers have seen us interact due to my time spent as an intern for several summers at his workplace. They are almost envious of our bond, but believe me, it took time, understanding, and a lot of mistakes to get there.

Now that I’m “grown-up” (although I still think of myself as a child) and old enough to make my own choices, I choose and respect my father’s advice and take it when I agree with it; which with each passing year, I choose more and more. 

So Dad, Daddy, Pa, Papa, Old Man, whatever your teenager calls you, daughters and sons alike, they will come around in their own time… just be patient, stand your ground, and never NEVER give up on them.

Love from Lala.

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