Your Big Hands Holding Mine

The second he laid eyes on me, the first words my dad uttered were, “This is my little princess.” God has granted me a countless number of blessings, but one that prevails above all else is the man I call ‘Daddy’.

He always charges for doors just so he can be there to open it for my mother and I. In the frigid temperatures of the winter months, his jacket is offered to me willingly. He always provides jokes of shotguns and threats at the mention of the word “boyfriend”.

Not only is a father meant for those gestures, but he has many more purposes in this world. The predominant role that fathers are expected to take is the head of the household. Countless times in the book of Ephesians in the Bible, it is declared that the man holds authority over his home, including his wife and children. By playing this role in their daughters’ lives, fathers all across the nation also affect the future of their daughters.

March 15, my church is hosting a “Father and Daughter Banquet”. This is an event to capture the bond between a girl and the most important man in her life. It is to highlight the truth that a father is a girl’s first true love.

Dads hold a heavy influence on the relationships girls involve themselves in during their teenage and young adult years. With about 92% of fatherless girls getting divorced, it is clear that fathers are essential to the development of healthy relationship-building skills. Girls with fathers hold men in a different respect than girls who grew up with no father present in their life. In many cases, whenever a young girl does not know the feeling of receiving affection from any male figure, she strives to gain that experience, even if it means hurting herself physically or emotionally. Many girls from fatherless homes aggressively seek the attention of males. Then, when these girls finally receive that affection, they cower from it because they don’t see a male as a lasting element in their life. Their trust has been neglected by past male figures who have abandoned them.

In spite of these sad statistics, there are young females who have overcome the absence of a male figure in their lives. Every year, numerous girls graduate, go to college and start a beautiful, healthy family with an honorable man, despite not having the knowledge of what part a man is supposed to play in this world.

There is a multitude of men out there that refuse to accept the responsibility that is expected of them. Maybe they are afraid of failure when raising a child. Maybe alcoholism serves as a roadblock for supporting a family. Maybe they attend to their own agenda that does not include a wife and children.

I know of one man that will always be the one I love most. A boy may break my heart, but my Daddy will be there to pick up the pieces. And, when I find that perfect man, Daddy will be the one to walk me down that aisle and hand me off.

“Anyone can be a father, but it takes a real man to be called Daddy,” Ann Geddes.

Do you appreciate a relationship with your father? Or are one of the unique girls that thrives without a male influence in your life? I would truly enjoy reading your comments via email. Thank you for reading.