book review... again

i feel the need to say it again... if you have girls, you need to read this book. after you are done reading it, give it to your spouse!!! i am amazed at how complex and delicate the little (and big) girls are in our lives. they are truly like a most sacred piece of china to be cherished, polished, and handled ever so carefully. 
i tend to read this book while in bed, while my husband is sleeping beside me. i find myself constantly wanting to wake him up and say... "read this...no way... you have got to hear this...".

i want to share with you some things that spoke to me as i read the chapter entitled fathers to daughters". this was a chapter on advice for fathers, which dobson borrowed from a book entitled "Father to Daughter: Life Lessons on Raising a Girl".

* Relish the moments when she toddles up and for no reason at all throws her arms around your neck. Resist the urge to buy her the world.
* Give her a picture of you to put in her first purse. If you're lucky, she'll always carry a photo of you.
*Ask her about her day, every day. Share her wonder.
*Never laugh at her dreams.
* Read to her often. Very soon, she'll be reading to you.
* Accept the fact that the loving, tender angel you've spent the last decade with may disappear sometimes. She will return.
*Remind her that the most sacred thing between a father and daughter is trust.
*Remember- many girls look back on middle school as the worst time in their lives. Stay tuned; stay involved.
*Forgive her when she seeks forgiveness. This is the best way for her to learn to forgive others.
*Teach her how to look a boy in the eye and say "No".
* Make it very clear that you expect her to wear a seat belt. Even over her prom dress.
* If a boy pulls up and honks for her, go out and have words with him. Explain that your daughter answers to a doorbell.
****Wait up for her. Knowing dad will be greeting her at the door has a very positive effect on her decision-making process. (I love that one!!)
*Prepare for the day when you're not the most important man in her life.
*Remember, she will break your heart when she leaves for college. But you will survive.
*Tell her she is the daughter you always dreamed about.
* In the end, let her go. 
Harry H. Harrison, Father to Daughter: Life Lessons on Raising a Girl (New York: Workman Publishing Co., 2003).


needless to say i was wiping my eyes by the time i finished this chapter, thinking about how quickly the time has already gone--- and the future that is to come. there are many, many more pieces of wisdom from this book... which, by the way, would make a delightful father's day gift. i realize that one of the most important things i can do, as a mother, is encourage my husband as a father and pray that he is the kind of daddy that camille needs.
until next time...