Girls! What can I say we are emotional. We literally come out of the womb crying. I mean we all do, but girls cry a lot. It has to be hard on dads that don’t understand how we feel, how we think, or what we mean when we say we are “fine.”

I have compiled a list of 8 tips to help dads to understand their daughters a little bit more.

1. We cry for no reason. We sometimes can just get emotional out of the blue for no reason, and we just know that we need to cry. Crying can make us feel better. It’s like crying gets out emotions we aren’t able to explain or understand ourselves. So when your daughter is crying and you ask “why” and she responds with, “I don’t know.” More than likely she is telling you the truth. We can’t always explain why we are upset.

2. Shoes! Shoes! and more Shoes! I am shoe girl myself and we have a certain pair of shoes that go with certain outfits. We can’t just wear the same tennis shoes with every pair of yoga pants. They have to match duh! And the same goes for heels, boots, sandals, ect. We have certain shoes that go with high waisted jeans, boot cut jeans, skinny jeans, cropped pants, shorts, skirts, even swim suits. We need at least two pair of shoes for every one outfit. I mean, it all depends on our mood for the day. Ha!

3. A bad hair day can result in a bad mood all day. How we feel we look are the results of our moods for the day. We will also change our hair a lot. You do know that there are four seasons in a year. Brighter in the spring. Shorter for the summer. Darker for fall and longer in the winter. Or maybe we just broke up with our boyfriend…definitely time for a new do.

4. Boyfriends. We are going to have them. So just get use to the idea. The more you are willing to discuss the idea of our interest in boys, the more open we will tell you about our crushes.

5. Fine. This word can drive a knife into any relationship. Daddy’s, when you hear this for your little girl, it can simply mean…I’m not ready to talk about it. Don’t get mad, just say ok. Try to lighten the conversation, and come back to this topic in which she said, “fine” at a another time. Sometimes we just need to process and feel the situation.

6. Dating. Yes, the day will come when we start dating. Please don’t make jokes about what you are going to do when he shows up. We are just as nervous about the date as you are. We are the ones who had to muster up the courage to ask you if we could go on a date. When he shows up, you say…”what’s your name?, my daughter is my world, she will be returned safely and at a decent hour.” If he hurts her, by all means unleash daddy mode on him!

7. Hormones. The dreaded shark days. We will be moody and unsure of what is happening at first. Be patient. We are also learning all the new changes in our bodies. We will be moody, happy one second and sad the next. We may cry for no reason, revert back to #1. We can logically know what bothers us is stupid, but we can’t control our stupid hormones and how they make us feel.

8. Growing and changing. As life flies by and we are older in a blink of an eye. We realize how hard it is for you to see your baby girl grow up. Just know… We will always be your LITTLE GIRL!

Things to consider.
1. Don’t criticize her for being upset. Try to give her some space, to process what she is feeling. The more you show you care, the more she will tell you.
2. Don’t make her feel bad for liking boys or wanting a boyfriend. Be open with her about boys. Show her how boys should treat her.