Raising kids can be overwhelming, raising kids alone can be difficult and a very challenging task for the parent. However, something which is the most difficult kind of parenting is raising a daughter as a single Dad. I think there is no more of a challenge than this. This requires sacrifice, constant care, knowledge of things you never knew, somehow you have to play the role of both a Dad and Mom.
If you ask me, I have a daughter and I am raising her just fine with my wife. More so, my wife is an air hostess so most of the time it’s just me and the kids. Sometimes I feel like I am single Dad because she is always flying around.
However, let me share with you my experience and experience from other Dad’s who raised their daughters all by themselves.
Make Communication Easy
Communicating is the key solution to every problem. No matter if it is a national problem or an international dispute, all problems can be solved via conversation. Try to make sure you are communicating with your daughter, she needs to be comforted with words.
You need to teach her to communicate her problems and make sure she is more than comfortable to explain everything to you. Don’t think of yourself as her parent while talking to her, become her friend. Tell her all about your experiences and how girls would cope up with such problems when you were young.
If you don’t want to skim through this article and learn more about parenting, read this article about movies that you should watch for better parenting.
It’s better done with someone else than alone
This is something all single Dads need to understand, it is better done with someone else than alone. You might think that you can do it and you don’t need support from someone else while you’re at it. However, try to find someone you can do it with. If it didn’t work out with someone, doesn’t mean it will not work out with anyone else.
She is out there looking for someone who has everything you have. Don’t give up on life, a child will always need a mother like she will always need her father around. As mentioned in a research separations and divorces have a very adverse effect on a child’s early cognitive development. Make sure she feels needed and surrounded by people who love her more than anything. Hope is what this world resides on, give her the life she deserves.
Being too much involved can be disastrous
No matter what the relationship is, you need to understand that every person needs time and space. Don’t invade their privacy and don’t try to be involved in everything. Even as a kid, you can have fun with her friends but you need to let her have her fun with her friends without you being at their head 24/7. As a girl grows there are many things that she might not be able to tell you, everyone has their own space, so let her be.
Find ways to cheer her up and be creative if you want your daughter to learn something which she isn’t talking about. This is something very challenging but isn’t parenting in general a challenge?
There will be days when your daughter might lock herself up and won’t talk to anyone. Now, you know something is troubling her, just make sure you are always there for when she reaches out to you. No matter how awkward you make her, make sure your message and lesson is delivered.
People learn better with their own experiences, let her be on her own when she is about to enter adolescence. You won’t know what a heartbreak is until unless you experience it. Yes, you can always help her, guide her with your experience and knowledge. However, it is important for her own development that she learns and experiences life in her own way.
Keep her connected to yourself, don’t be too over protective
Being connected to your child in general is a very hard task. Sometimes when parents are lenient, they also tend to feel a certain distance with their children. This happens because of the generation gap, and this will remain but here is how you can overcome this. Being connected doesn’t mean that you should keep invading their private space. Being connected means that you are the person your daughter runs to when she needs to talk. Though this will not be the case forever.
Sit down and have a cup of coffee with her, while you reminisce over the time you’ve spent and the experiences you’ve had. Those experiences don’t have to be very strict or serious, they can be funny too. If you don’t have a funny story, make one. She won’t go back in time and try to witness it. Humor can help you connect with your kids better than being strict and overprotective.
Discussion is always better than letting her down easy
Now there is a lot of stuff you will have to discuss with her while she is growing up. You need to teach her different aspects of life. You need to teach her that not all people are good and not all people are bad. Teach her how to deal with bullies and also teach her to be kind to people. Tell her being kind will help her be confident and let people drive closer to her. Listen to her stories all day long and ask how her day was.
Take her out for food, maybe to her favorite drive-in or anything she wants. You will need to learn everything about menstruation and sexual growth in teens in order to talk to her about it. These topics might gross her out but it should be you who teaches her all this. Make sure her school has sex education classes for her own well-being.
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