When I was a little girl my Daddy did my hair in the morning because my Mom worked third shift and wasn't home in the morning. Truth be told, he did a better job than mother. My Dad cooked me breakfast every morning to make sure my day started out right. He would be up before the sun making eggs, sausage, bacon, grits, cream of wheat, or oatmeal with raisins. There was no such thing as eating cold cereal for breakfast except on Saturdays.
When I got a little older my Dad taught me how to use tools and fix things because he didn't want me to always depend on man when things got broken. His daughter was never going to be a damsel in distress. Because of Daddy I know the difference between a flat head and Phillips head screwdriver. I know how to use a socket wrench and a hand saw. Daddy showed me how to use a stud finder and level is so I could hang pictures on the wall and they won't be crooked. Because of my Dad I knew how to change the belts and spark plugs, check all the fluids in the car and how to change a flat tire long before I knew how to drive. Daddy even taught me how fish. I could always cast a line better than Daddy and I always caught more fish than he did.
When I was a teenager I thought Daddy was crazy because he would never let me go anywhere by myself except school. If a boy even looked in my direction, Daddy would give him the "I'll kill you and go have coffee" look. It used to make me so angry. I remember when Daddy jumped out of the car with a bat when he picked me up from school because he saw a boy was hugging me. That let every other boy know that I was off limits. In that moment I knew Daddy wasn't wrapped tight. When I was a freshman in high school, a senior asked me to go to homecoming with him. I respectfully declined because I knew Daddy would say no and possibly kill me for even talking to a boy that much older than me. I envisioned Daddy getting his shotgun when he saw this boy pull up in front the house to pick up his 13 year old daughter. I also knew that my mother would cosign on that no and would be handing Daddy the shotgun shells. I later understood that all crazy behavior was his way of protecting me.
The most important lesson my father taught me was what a gentleman is. He taught me what a gentleman is by treating my mother like a lady. He he told me "how I treat your mother is how I should expect a man to treat me". Daddy had to remind of this lesson when I started dating. I thought my boyfriend at the time was treating like I was helpless. Daddy told me that my boyfriend was being chivalrous and treating me like a lady when he opened doors for me, pulled out my chair when I sat down, insisted on paying for everything when we went out, and came to the door instead of blowing the horn for me to come out. Daddy taught me that when a man gives me a single red rose it means that he loves me and has chosen me to be his. He told me that a single red rose means so much more than getting a whole dozen. I strayed from that lesson and got hurt a lot in relationships. I'm getting back to what he taught me about men and I'm making better choices when it comes to being in relationships.
When my father was teaching me all of these things I didn't appreciate it at the time. I do now though. I know that I would be lost in this world if I didn't have my Daddy. If you are a father of a daughter your relationship with her is so important and should never be taken for granted. Daughters need their father as much as their sons do.
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