Relationships

Studies have shown that girls who have fathers who respect them and encourage their independence have healthy relationships with themselves and with others. There are two extreme ends to the spectrum when it comes to a father-daughter relationship. One end is where the father spoils his daughter giving her absolutely everything she wants. A girl who grows up with princess syndrome may have high self-esteem, but she is also at risk from going from one disappointing relationship to another searching for prince charming. If she is never refused anything from her father, she will grow to expect the same treatment from all men. Her self-esteem has gone beyond self-interest to selfishness, yet to a girl with the princess syndrome there is nothing wrong with that. Relationships don't last because expectations are set to a bar that most men will not match all the time.

On the other end of the spectrum a father who is abusive verbally or physically, absent, or has a cold and withdrawn relationship with his daughter isn't any better. The absence of a loving father-daughter relationship can cause a girl to seek male attention and approval. Self-esteem is in the toilet and so are all of her relationships with men. If the father is completely absent from a relationship with his daughter, it can lead a girl to have a sense of abandonment and have issues including not desiring a serious relationship because of fear of abandonment.

Dads who find a happy medium with their relationship with their daughter will find their girl able to have meaningful, long-lasting relationships and that she will love herself. The keys to a healthy father-daughter relationship that will have a good impact on the girl's future are respect, encouraging independence, and support in loving herself.

The Workplace

A father-daughter relationship can have far-reaching affects when the daughter goes into the workforce. A girl who is constantly trying to please her father will eventually have the same relationship with her boss, an authority and father figure in her adulthood. If you allow your daughter to believe she is never going to be worth anything, it will carry over to how she behaves in the workplace. A father should never allow his daughter to believe her worth is based on her performance at home, at school, or at work.

Feminine Development

In a recent study it has been shown that a father-daughter relationship has an affect on how soon a girl starts puberty. Girls who have a close, healthy relationship with their fathers generally start puberty later than girls who do not. Self-image as they develop is also affected. If a father is proud of the development and changes in his daughter, she is more likely to accept them and continue to have confidence in herself. A father who is abusive has been found to start a chain of abusive behavior and his daughter will seek out a partner who treats her the same way.