How to Raise a Girl As a Single Father
Spend time with her., Adversely, don't hover., Identify problems and try your best to fix whatever they may be., Understand that she will still miss her mother., Let her be busy., Focus on being a father., It might seem a bit weird when your...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Spend time with her.
Devote some of your time each day especially for her, whether it be watching a movie together or just discussing how she's doing.
Your daughter will appreciate the effort and feel more loved by doing this. -
Step 2: Adversely
Your daughter needs her alone time just like you, and will have times where she wants to be in her room or with her friends instead of hanging out with you.
The line between concern and hovering is both confusing and vague.
You'll encounter difficulty with it- especially during puberty, where your baby girl begins to become an independent young woman.
A good rule of thumb to follow is to notice your daughter's cues and encourage her to tell you when she wants to be alone. , Allow her to see that you're always with her if she ever needs anything.
This will give her a sense of security and will also help her to truly feel cared for It's EXTREMELY important to keep open communication lines with your daughter.
It makes things much easier, and allows you to understand, respect, and truly listen to what she's saying.
Build a trust filled relationship with her where she can feel safe and inclined to keep up the open communication. , She most likely won't forget her mother and may even feel sad, lonely, or resentful at times due to this, regardless of your presence.
Make sure she knows that you love her and that her mother will always be with her in her heart.
If possible, try to make her mother visit your daughter once a month.
If you can't for reasons such as death, try to take into account your daughter's feelings when dating and/or getting married.
Your daughter may be adverse to having another lady 'replace' her mother, and resent you for it.
Try to show her that while no one will ever replace her previous mother, this new lady will allow you both to create new experiences and memories that you'll both enjoy.
Don't try to make her forget about her mother.
No one can ever truly forget about their mother, and it will make you look like you don't really care about her by trying to do so. , Your job isn't only to be a father now, your job is to keep her from being lonely or sad because of her lack of mother.
Make her live her life as a normal person.
Let her do anything that would make her stop thinking about her mother, and keep her busy.
Try making her start practicing a sport she likes or whatever she wants.
Sometimes, sports isn't enough to make her start thinking about something else.
Let her see that you still care about her while keeping her busy.
Going camping, mountain climbing (if she is old enough), or even a simple trip should make her like you more. , As a father, your job is to care for your child whether it's with a mother or not.
Understand that girls need tons of things.
Find a job with a good salary if you haven't yet, and buy the things she needs.
As a single father, your job now is not only to provide for her, but also teach her about finances and how to be a smart consumer so she'll be able to make better money making decisions later in life. , So be prepared to play with dolls, brush her hair, dress up, play pretend, have tea parties, etc...
Raise your girl as if she had been raised by two.
Understand how to raise a child, and keep on doing what you need to do.
Remember:
Your daughter will eventually emulate you, so make sure to display good habits, values, and morals , Sometimes you won't understand your daughter since you're a male.
Don't hesitate to ask for assistance and advice from your family, friends, or even a babysitter.
Start reading books about raising children and skip the parts about the mother, or read books that is about how to raise a girl if you're a single father.
Search on the internet for how-to articles about that, and start learning from others' experiences.
Avoid getting a babysitter.
Your daughter might not enjoy that idea.
Before doing anything that would make her daily life different, ask her what she thinks about it.
However, don't do everything she asks.
Think over her requests carefully before doing anything. , She will always remind her mother, so when you talk about her, it might make her feel better even if it look like that it won't.
Start telling her that her mother would be very happy if she stopped being sad about her, and continued her life happily.
Keep on telling her that her mother loves her.
Make your daughter stop worrying stop thinking she's in distress or not proud of her. , Sometimes, your daughter may hide away her true feelings to appease you.
It's up to you to break her of this habit ASAP.
Encourage your daughter to be honest with her emotions, whatever they may be, and show her that she doesn't need to pretend.
One of the best ways to do this is through making her TRULY laugh/smile... whether that be through watching a funny movie, telling corny jokes, or surprising her with a hug. (Or allowing her to cry if she needs to.) Let yourself smile, too.
Your daughter will never be happy if she realizes that you aren't.
It's natural to be nervous about being an only parent, but don't let that fear overwhelm you.
Smile, laugh, and live as much as any other person, if not more- you do, after all, have an amazing daughter by your side. -
Step 3: don't hover.
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Step 4: Identify problems and try your best to fix whatever they may be.
-
Step 5: Understand that she will still miss her mother.
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Step 6: Let her be busy.
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Step 7: Focus on being a father.
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Step 8: It might seem a bit weird when your daughter starts asking you to play with her Barbie dolls alongside her
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Step 9: but you'll need to get used of it
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Step 10: as this will allow you two to bond.
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Step 11: Ask for help.
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Step 12: Talk about her mother.
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Step 13: Make her laugh.
Detailed Guide
Devote some of your time each day especially for her, whether it be watching a movie together or just discussing how she's doing.
Your daughter will appreciate the effort and feel more loved by doing this.
Your daughter needs her alone time just like you, and will have times where she wants to be in her room or with her friends instead of hanging out with you.
The line between concern and hovering is both confusing and vague.
You'll encounter difficulty with it- especially during puberty, where your baby girl begins to become an independent young woman.
A good rule of thumb to follow is to notice your daughter's cues and encourage her to tell you when she wants to be alone. , Allow her to see that you're always with her if she ever needs anything.
This will give her a sense of security and will also help her to truly feel cared for It's EXTREMELY important to keep open communication lines with your daughter.
It makes things much easier, and allows you to understand, respect, and truly listen to what she's saying.
Build a trust filled relationship with her where she can feel safe and inclined to keep up the open communication. , She most likely won't forget her mother and may even feel sad, lonely, or resentful at times due to this, regardless of your presence.
Make sure she knows that you love her and that her mother will always be with her in her heart.
If possible, try to make her mother visit your daughter once a month.
If you can't for reasons such as death, try to take into account your daughter's feelings when dating and/or getting married.
Your daughter may be adverse to having another lady 'replace' her mother, and resent you for it.
Try to show her that while no one will ever replace her previous mother, this new lady will allow you both to create new experiences and memories that you'll both enjoy.
Don't try to make her forget about her mother.
No one can ever truly forget about their mother, and it will make you look like you don't really care about her by trying to do so. , Your job isn't only to be a father now, your job is to keep her from being lonely or sad because of her lack of mother.
Make her live her life as a normal person.
Let her do anything that would make her stop thinking about her mother, and keep her busy.
Try making her start practicing a sport she likes or whatever she wants.
Sometimes, sports isn't enough to make her start thinking about something else.
Let her see that you still care about her while keeping her busy.
Going camping, mountain climbing (if she is old enough), or even a simple trip should make her like you more. , As a father, your job is to care for your child whether it's with a mother or not.
Understand that girls need tons of things.
Find a job with a good salary if you haven't yet, and buy the things she needs.
As a single father, your job now is not only to provide for her, but also teach her about finances and how to be a smart consumer so she'll be able to make better money making decisions later in life. , So be prepared to play with dolls, brush her hair, dress up, play pretend, have tea parties, etc...
Raise your girl as if she had been raised by two.
Understand how to raise a child, and keep on doing what you need to do.
Remember:
Your daughter will eventually emulate you, so make sure to display good habits, values, and morals , Sometimes you won't understand your daughter since you're a male.
Don't hesitate to ask for assistance and advice from your family, friends, or even a babysitter.
Start reading books about raising children and skip the parts about the mother, or read books that is about how to raise a girl if you're a single father.
Search on the internet for how-to articles about that, and start learning from others' experiences.
Avoid getting a babysitter.
Your daughter might not enjoy that idea.
Before doing anything that would make her daily life different, ask her what she thinks about it.
However, don't do everything she asks.
Think over her requests carefully before doing anything. , She will always remind her mother, so when you talk about her, it might make her feel better even if it look like that it won't.
Start telling her that her mother would be very happy if she stopped being sad about her, and continued her life happily.
Keep on telling her that her mother loves her.
Make your daughter stop worrying stop thinking she's in distress or not proud of her. , Sometimes, your daughter may hide away her true feelings to appease you.
It's up to you to break her of this habit ASAP.
Encourage your daughter to be honest with her emotions, whatever they may be, and show her that she doesn't need to pretend.
One of the best ways to do this is through making her TRULY laugh/smile... whether that be through watching a funny movie, telling corny jokes, or surprising her with a hug. (Or allowing her to cry if she needs to.) Let yourself smile, too.
Your daughter will never be happy if she realizes that you aren't.
It's natural to be nervous about being an only parent, but don't let that fear overwhelm you.
Smile, laugh, and live as much as any other person, if not more- you do, after all, have an amazing daughter by your side.
About the Author
Diane Reyes
Enthusiastic about teaching organization techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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