Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know

Product Description Perfect for Father’s Day, a critical read for all dads seeking to connect with their daughters and raise confident young women in today’s increasingly complicated world. It’s often difficult for parents to connect with their daughters–and especially so for fathers. In this unique and invaluable guide, Dr. Meg Meeker, a pediatrician with more than twenty years’ experience counseling girls, reveals that a young woman’s relationship with her father is far more important than we’ve ever realized. To become a strong, confident woman, a daughter needs her father’s attention, protection, courage, and wisdom. Dr. Meeker shares the ten secrets every father needs to know in order to strengthen or rebuild bonds with his daughter and shape her life–and his own–for the better. Inside you’ll discover: • the essential virtues of strong fathers–and how to develop them • the cues daughters take from their dads on everything from self-respect to drugs, alcohol, and sex • the truth about ground rules (girls do want them, despite their protests) • the importance of becoming a hero to your daughter • the biggest mistake a dad can make–and the ramifications • the fact that girls actually depend on their dads’ guidance into adulthood • steps fathers can follow to help daughters avoid disastrous decisions and mistakes • ways in whicha father’s faith–or lack thereof–will influence his daughter • essential communication strategies for different stages of a girl’s life • true stories of “prodigal daughters”–and how their fathers helped to bring them back Dads, you are far more powerful than you think–and if you follow Dr. Meeker’ s advice, the rewards will be unmatched. “Reassuring and challenging . . . a helpful road map for concerned fathers [that] tackles difficult issues.” –National Review “A touching, illuminating book that will prove valuable to all of us who are fortunate enough to have been blessed with daughters.” –Michael Medved, nationally syndicated radio talk-show host, author of Right Turns “Dr. Meeker’s conclusions are timely, relevant, and often deeply moving. No one interested in what girls experience growing up in our culture today–and the impact that parents, especially fathers, have on the experience–can afford to miss reading this book.” –Armand M. Nicholi, Jr., M.D., professor of psychiatry, Harvard Medical School About the Author Meg Meeker, M.D., is the bestselling author of The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers; Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters; and Boys Should Be Boys. She has been a physician practicing pediatric and adolescent medicine, working with children and their parents, for more than thirty years. Dr. Meeker is the mother of four children and lives with her husband in northern Michigan. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Chapter One You Are the Most Important Man in Her Life Men, good men: We need you. We—mothers, daughters, and sisters—need your help to raise healthy young women. We need every ounce of masculine courage and wit you own, because fathers, more than anyone else, set the course for a daughter’s life. Your daughter needs the best of who you are: your strength, your courage, your intelligence, and your fearlessness. She needs your empathy, assertiveness, and self-confidence. She needs you. Our daughters need the support that only fathers can provide—and if you are willing to guide your daughter, to stand between her and a toxic culture, to take her to a healthier place, your rewards will be unmatched. You will experience the love and adoration that can come only from a daughter. You will feel a pride, satisfaction, and joy that you can know nowhere else. After more than twenty years of listening to daughters—and doling out antibiotics, antidepressants, and stimulants to girls who have gone without a father’s love—I know just how important fathers are. I have listened hour after hour to young girls describe how they vomit in junior high bathrooms to keep thei