20 Sept 2014-
How do you connect with your daughter?
Earlier this year, some research came out of Baylor University with some powerful insights for fathers. The researchers found that the best bonding times for dads and daughters—and what often become positive turning points in those relationships—are shared activities.
Take note, dad. When asked about moments when they really felt connected to their dads, daughters commonly mentioned the time when they began to play a sport. Their dads quickly jumped in and became the primary practice partner. And it’s natural for dads to stay involved to help their daughters develop skills and learn lessons about competition, taking risks, and standing up for themselves.
Most of all, when dads made the effort to help coach or work on the skill with them, it made the daughters feel important—the center of their dad’s attention.
To be clear, this isn’t all about sports. Other shared activities daughters mentioned include working on a project and taking a trip together. Those experiences helped them feel connected to their dads. And often, spending that time together led to great conversations about all kinds of subjects.
Now, here’s what I believe is even more interesting about this. The professor at Baylor noted that these shared activities tap into the masculine style of building closeness. Guys often relate more easily while doing things together (side-by-side), where the feminine approach is more about connecting by talking, (face-to-face).
Leave a Reply