8 Ways Divorced Dads Can Empower Their Daughters

fathers empowering daughtersBy Terry Gaspard, MSW, LICSW

There’s no denying that a girl’s relationship with her father is one of the most crucial in her life.

The quality of that connection – good, damaged, or otherwise – powerfully impacts dads and daughters in a multitude of ways.  A father’s effect on his daughter’s psychological well-being and identity is far-reaching.

A daughter’s sense of self, for instance, is often connected to how her father views her. A girl stands a better chance of becoming a self-confident woman if she has a close bond with her father.

The breakup of a family often changes the dynamic of the father-daughter relationship and it can be a challenge to stay connected if the parenting plan does not allow for frequent contact. Research shows that fathers play an important role in the lives of their daughters but that this relationship is the one that changes the most after divorce.

However, just because the relationship is different does not change how much daughters still count on their fathers for support.

In “Always Dad,” author Paul Mandelstein advises divorced dads to find ways to play an important role in their daughter’s life. He suggests that divorced parents call a truce with their ex-spouse – to put an end to active fighting and to collaborate. The father-daughter connection, even several years after a family dissolves, is heavily influenced by consistency in contact and the quality of the relationship.

Experts agree that the outcomes for daughters of divorce improve when they have positive bonds with both parents. These include better psychological and behavioral adjustment, and enhanced academic performance.

Studies show that patterns of parenting after divorce that lessen conflict, encourage open communication, and promote shared parenting are beneficial for daughters into emerging adulthood.

Since many daughters perceive limited contact with their fathers as a personal rejection, this can lead to lowered self-esteem and trouble trusting romantic partners during adolescence and adulthood. Be sure to spend time with your daughter on a regular basis and find activities to do together that you both enjoy. These might include hobbies, sports, exercise, and cooking.

Additionally, be sure to enlist her input and surprise her with outings that you can enjoy away from other family members.

In a divorced family, there are many ways a father-daughter bond may suffer. Based on her research, Dr. Linda Nielsen found that only 10 to 15 percent of fathers get to enjoy the benefits of shared parenting after divorce. Nielsen posits that while most daughters are well adjusted several years after their parents’ divorce, many have damaged relationships with their fathers.

Unfortunately, if the wound is severe, a girl can grow into adulthood with low self-esteem and trust issues.

What a girl needs is a loving, predictable father figure – whether married to her mother, single, or divorced. Joshua Coleman, Ph.D., a recognized expert on parenting, explains that one of the predictors of a father’s relationship with his children after divorce is the mother’s facilitation or obstruction of the relationship. It’s crucial that divorced dads attempt to forge positive relationships with their ex because it will benefit their daughter to see them communicating in a harmonious way.

However, if your ex has a high-conflict personality you many need guidance about ways to parent together that don’t include communicating directly with one another and allow you to set boundaries and limit your contact with him or her. Truth be told, parents forget that children are vulnerable to feeling in the middle between their parents’ arguments.

Cordell & Cordell understands the concerns men face during divorce.

High parental conflict can send them into high alert. As a result, daughters may have difficulty sleeping, concentrating on school or social activities, or be plagued with fear and anxiety about their future.

When parents argue excessively and for too long, it can leave their daughter feeling insecure and fearful. Even if it’s not the parents’ intention to cause harm, ongoing conflict can threaten a girl’s sense of safety. If this pattern occurs for an extended period of time, it can negatively impact a girl’s self-esteem.

Fortunately, there are plenty of things you can do to prevent your daughter from the damaging effects of long-term conflict during and after divorce. It’s possible to empower your daughter with a willingness to put her interests first and by using the strategies outlined below.

8 ways dads can empower their daughter’s high self-esteem

  1. Encourage her to assert herself – such as voicing her opinion even when it’s not popular to do so. Ask her questions about her day and solicit feedback about community and world events.
  2. Create a safe atmosphere for her to express her feelings – be sure to listen and validate them. Don’t let cynicism, sadness, or anger get in the way of your daughter’s future. If you have negative views of relationships, don’t pass them on to her.
  3. Praise her talents and strengths. Direct your praise away from her body and appearance – saying things such as “You are making such healthy choices” or “Good for you for going for a walk” will encourage her to be active and healthy.
  4. Never bad mouth your ex as this promotes loyalty conflicts and may make it more difficult for her to heal from the losses associated with divorce. Don’t let your cynicism or anger toward your ex impact your interactions with your daughter.
  5. Protect her from cultural influences that encourage her to be overly competitive with other girls or young women. Point out what she has to offer the world and help her shine.
  6. Nurture her interests with enthusiasm. Encourage her to practice her talents, recognize her efforts and strengths. These efforts will boost your daughter’s self-esteem in the years to come.
  7. Spend time with her on a regular basis doing things she enjoys. Encourage her to find healthy outlets you can do together such as jogging, going to the gym, playing chess, etc.
  8. Encourage her to spend close to equal time with you and her mom. Be flexible about “parenting time” – especially as she reaches adolescence and may need more time for friends, school, jobs, and extracurricular activities.

Fathers are the key to their daughter’s future according to internationally renowned psychologist Kevin Leman. He writes, “That evidence shows that a father’s relationship with his daughter is one of the key determinants in a woman’s ability to enjoy a successful life and marriage.”

Keep your eye on the big picture in terms of your daughter’s future and think about how you want her to describe her relationship with you in ensuing years. Tell your daughter she is capable of anything. Daughters need to view their fathers respecting women and valuing their intelligence, opinions, and talents in order to thrive and become self-confident women.

Follow Terry at movingpastdivorce.com. Her book “Daughters of Divorce: Overcome the Legacy of Your Parents’ Breakup and Enjoy a Happy, Long-Lasting Relationship” can be ordered on her website.

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6 comments on “8 Ways Divorced Dads Can Empower Their Daughters

    I’m a single Dad. I am well respected in the community. I make well over 6 figures. The mother of my child is a great mother. She too, makes a great living and works really hard. How can our court system that does not know me, nor my ex wife, have the final say, that I get to see my child every other weekend, when we had discussed in mediation me getting her 3 days one week and 4 days the following.
    The whole time in mediation, I never questioned the money that she was desiring. I personally don’t care about materialistic things. The only thing we didn’t agree on was a 50/50 parenting plan. I wasn’t going to lose one second with my child, if I could help it.
    We both lawyer up, fancy smancy attornyies. We both didn’t spare any expense on attorneys.
    Long story short, the Judge was 💯 percent totally on the Ex’s side. Orders me to every other weekend, when we both stated to the court that we were both excellent parents, just not great spouses. Both of us would do anything for our child. Now the ex wife got awarded more money than her and I had agreed on. She got The River house, everything in it, (boats, jet skies,) Everything. I have to pay an astronomical amount of get this Child support/Spousal Support. The ex makes close 100,000 a year……. plus…. plus….. She gets half my retirement, I have to pay her attorney Fee’s… But here is the Biggest Kicker…. She’s the one that cheated. Still with the guy that she cheated with. He lives there. Everyone I have spoken to says that you can’t prove “Co-inhabitanting) because the law is written so Vague. How is this anywhere close to fair???

    These are trying times Worcester county. I lost five years of my life. I came home from Iraq nearly 7 years ago to find my daughters gone. Well not gone but….in my soon to be ex’s arms.

    You see I’m a retired war fighter. I fight wars so……oh wait forgot I’m in ******* territory. I love this article. I love my kids. I respect their privacy. I am advocating for a Veterans Court in Worcester, MA.

    I’m currently going through this with quasi weekends stripped of my rights to my kids without having true justification of why I got six hour monitored weekends. When in counseling the counselor defined abuse and my daughter started crying and mumbling “mom” and saying her mother struck her 5 different occasions. Became a cutter, placed on lexapro and taken to counseling. The mother is extremely controlling and manipulative by taking her phone rights, or forms of communication with me. The court system doesn’t have the “best interest” of the children at the forefront of anything. How can they even with an amicus appointed by the court. All this woman had done was continuously badger me with how to be a better parent with no true experience of being married or having a child. Though they may give information there is no true experience at ALL. I’m tired of this battle with a narrsistic personality disorder. Help in South Texas I’m tired.

    Clark

    When you say you may need guidance in this paragraph:

    “However, if your ex has a high-conflict personality you many need guidance about ways to parent together that don’t include communicating directly with one another and allow you to set boundaries and limit your contact with him or her.”

    Where can I get that guidance you are talking about, as I have a high conflict ex?

    I’m not an expert but what worked for me is establishing everything through a court order. Not talking to your ex, not answering texts, and not communicating can save you stress and conflict, which spares your daughter the pain.

    Have your visitation order for specific pick up and drop off and if your daughter is not there file a police report and petition the court for enforcement of visitation. After a while she has no ammo to make you miserable.

    It’s possible your ex will remain an insufferable, lying, destructive sociopath long after you are gone. You can’t dance with a T-Rex. You have to avoid it. For me this means sacrificing Skype, and not being as involved as I would like to be, but when my daughter is 8 I’m providing her a phone and I am having it out in the court order that she gets to use it at specified times.

    Mommy doesn’t let her, police report, court, rinse and repeat. I represent myself and I have tamed what once seemed like a powerful fire breathing dragon and I now enjoy minimal access time (bi-weekly as the ex moved out of state before I had a court order) and I finance the whole thing,….. But my daughter knows I love her destroy your relationship with your daughter. The court while unfair at times is your best friend

    Don’t let her win

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