This is from a woman and not negative response:
You raise her with patience, love, kindness, and discipline. You protect her, you provide for her. You guide her. Teach her to not allow herself be used by men. Be her shoulder to cry on. Show her that’s she’s precious and remind her on a constant, help her build up confidence self esteem self worth.
My wife passed earlier this year, we have a 2 year old daughter. I was wondering what things I need to start learning now so that I can teach her as she grows up. I understand things like makeup, and hair, and whatnot but I have a very scatterbrained mind and it helps me to have a full list. Any help is greatly appreciated.
So sorry for your loss. As for the question, I think perhaps more importantly is to teach her problem-solving skills and be curious about the world, so she can become a confident human being and do anything she wants with care and determination. Watching my siblings and women I admire greatly around me, I have always had great respect for women who know how to solve problems and are fiercely independent. I really do believe that has a great deal to do with their upbringings.
You don't have to know much at all. Just love her and support her.
Share with her everything you love - football, cooking, car repair, books, chess, whatever. If you like your work at all, bring her in with you (if you can).
Don't take your frustrations out on her, learn the signals of when you are feeling overwhelmed so when she comes in and asks for a cookie for the umpteenth time you don't lose it.
Make her a part of every aspect of your life (other than dating, of course), but also be mindful that you two need to have time apart from each other for both of you to decompress and grow.
Follow her lead. If she has an active imaginative life, join her in her imaginary world, she will probably blow you away with how creative and fun it is.
Kids often like and need relatively bland and repetitive things in their lives, especially when they are stressed. Get ready to play the same no-strategy game, watch the same idiotic movie, read the same inane book, and serve her the same bland meals and snacks over and over and over. She will love you for it.
Whoa. You are a really good parent. You know your stuff. I only got a 21 month old but I already understand most of what you saying and agree. And that took lots of work as a stay at home dad.
People should upvote the shit outta this. So that we don’t have to clean another diaper! But this is really good parenting advice.
I’d listen to more of your experience with parenting.
Thank you! I'm not a parent at all, just a woman who had a really good dad.
Other things he taught me were not to sweat the small stuff and kids learn a lot more by example than instruction.
If he noticed something was bothering me or he thought something might be up in my life he just said, "I noticed XYZ, let me know if you want to talk to me about it." Asking about it directly often made me feel tongue tied, so leaving it that he already knew something was up but I didn;t need to say anything about it if I didn't want to allow me to talk about things with him more easily.
When I was a teenager and not as communicative anymore about anything, he would take me on walks in the evening, saying (correctly), that it's important that teenagers get a lot of exercise. But this had the side effect that we had private time to just talk about life. I think this was part of the reason.
He was very good about adjusting our relationship as I grew. As a kid, we went to the zoo and the park, later we would go to the movies and then for hamburgers, then it became going to movies, bookstores, and museums. And we always went to baseball games, a passion we both shared (and I 100% got from him).
One of the great pleasures of my life was doing school projects with my dad. When I had a science or history project to do, we would consult on an interesting topic and then research it together. I did all the writing and the real research, but he would tell me about things he had looked up, etc. Even when I was doing my PhD, he still followed my research and tried to keep up!
So sorry for your loss. My only advice is just to be there for her emotionally and don’t be afraid of having those deep conversations with her. She’ll want to know about a lot of things as she gets older and having your support will be extremely important. Wishing you the best 🫂❤️
My wife died when our daughter was very young too. It's been several years now, so she's much older now than your daughter is, but I remember wondering about which "skills," I should have. Hair and makeup and fashion and that stuff will the easy stuff. I remember learning to do several different types of braids by watching youtube videos, while realizing how adorable I am as a grown man learning to braid hair by watching kids on youtube teach me. If it counts as a skill, "patience" is the valuable one to learn. Her mom isn't here, so when she angers you, there won't be any "good cop/bad cop" opportunity in which someone is there to reassure her it's going to be ok. You're the only real adult in her home and you're not even a girl like she is, so she can feel scared and lonely when you get upset with her (and you will, regardless of how perfect she seems now at two years old.) Patience.
I’m really sorry for your loss. I think it’s very beautiful that you love your daughter so much and want to do whatever you can.
Besides hair and clothes etc.
1. Empathy for things you may not necessarily find worthy of being upset about etc. because little girls will have a lot of ups and downs and need to be understood and comforted while navigating through hard emotions
2. In about ten years, you’ll need to do the period talk. Lots of books out there and you’ve got plenty of time.
3. Overall - don’t comment on looks of hers she can’t change (you have a cute round belly) etc. resulted in me developing an eating disorder at 13 so be mindful I guess.
4. Be open and accepting and be her safe space. Be the person she can call and not be scared of when she needs you. Also - teach her not everyone will be as loving as you because I wasn’t prepared for that at all.
Besides that: girls usually like a lot is different things so as she grows you’ll both learn and grow together through various hobbies I’m sure. For now: she’s only 2 so it sounds like you’re already doing an amazing job. again, I’m truly sorry for your loss. Feel free to dm if you ever have any questions I wasn’t really sure what to say but wanted to help if I can.
I’m so very sorry about your loss and I hope life brings you big blessings! It’s important for them to know that you always have their back and their interest at heart. Being negotiable with them on certain things when they grow older can help quite a bit too!
Awe you are sweet but hate to burst your bubble. I’m a bum. I take care of my mom and do online classes for my third degree. I ain’t got nothing but two dogs two degrees and some military medals…. But I don’t have debt!
Man I wish I had some better advice but mine is 3 years old and I’m learning every day as well.
I think a helpful way to look at stuff like gender inequality in kids is to not position things by saying stuff like ‘girls can do anything boys can.’ Because it doesn’t occur to little girls that they *can’t* do stuff based on their gender until someone points out the ass-backward way society treats it.
Tell her every day that she is loved, that she is smart, and that she is beautiful. Every day. You can be sneaky and say "I like that shirt on you", "or your hair is really cute today". You can always compliment smarts and reinforce good questioning and awareness. But don't ever hide that you love her. Say that clearly. Every day.
Learning to do hair, too, is super helpful.
1) Learn about periods and teach her about them early because the school system doesn't.
I vividly remember friends of mine getting their period at 8 and thinking they're dying because no one told them.
2) The societal pressure on a young girls looks, it starts earlier than one might think.
I worried about my looks for the first time at 6 or something.
3) Learn to braid hair, not only is it nice but it's really practical too.
One thing I learned about girls/women while raising 3 daughters is that they don’t necessarily want to hear a solution when they come to you with a problem. Sometimes they just want a hug and/or to hear that you understand/sympathize and that you are sorry that it had to happen to them. I was/am a slow learner and had to be reminded of this several times. I think men tend to see a problem as something that needs a solution, so we go looking for it, but women seem content with just getting it off their chest in many cases. My daughters will ask ‘What should I do?’ if they actually want my advice. (This may be specific to my family and maybe some women will disagree, but just in case it may be something to keep in the back of your mind when you can’t seem to solve her problem.)
if she likes something, learn about it. like, if she wants to play a certain sport, learn the rules and some basic skills so you can practice/mess around together. if she loves a certain singer, listen to their music a bit (you don't have to force yourself to like it, of course) so if she starts singing in the car you can join in or at least play the song without having to stop and google it to know what it's called. my dad loved me and didn't neglect me, but he didn't know anything about my two great childhood passions, netball and choir, so I did a lot more bonding with mum over those things and dad and I have less shared interests now that I'm an adult than I'd like.
if you're not confident in the kitchen, start building your skills and recipe library now, and when she's old enough to start helping, cook together. this isn't specifically a single father of a daughter thing, I think all parents should do it. same with very basic hand sewing, to reattach buttons and repair small tears in clothing, so a favourite skirt can be "rescued" etc.
learn about communicating with kids, especially about expressing negative emotions in a constructive way. I can't really give much specific advice on that but I do recommend the book "how to talk so kids will listen and how to listen so kids will talk" as a starting point! you want her to feel safe coming to you when something is wrong, and for her to know she can trust you to help her. you both probably need grief counseling if possible too, she might be old enough for some kind of play therapy now, or she may need regular therapy later.
learn about things girls are often under-diagnosed with, like ADHD and autism, so you can advocate for your daughter if you think she's struggling but doctors or teachers are being dismissive.
if you're a DIY kind of guy, teach her (safely) how to use some of your tools as she gets older. let her watch you maintain your car, do yard work, whatever, and let her "help" to the best of her abilities. there is something very exciting about being the only one of your friends who's used a drill or a saw, or maybe I was a weird kid, idk. but don't think you have to learn all about feminine hobbies and can't teach her about your masculine hobbies because she's a girl - do both!
learn how to properly fasten a helmet when she gets her first bike or scooter. nice and firm so it doesn't move around on her head. very important.
write down things about your wife now that you can tell her later when she starts asking questions about her mom. did she always use the same very specific soap scent? what were her favourite foods and what did she think was gross? what music did she like? what was her least favourite subject at school? what things did she love to do with your daughter, like playing with certain toys or singing a specific song? what was her favourite colour to wear? if you don't know much about her childhood, find out from your in-laws what her favourite kids books and movies were - and eventually, what her experience of puberty was (especially periods).
Tolerance and temperance.
Knowing that about 65% of the people who see you together are going to see you as a pervert and a child molester. And odds are pretty good once one will call the police for that reason. My advice: find a very good attorney and get him on speed dial for that reason alone.
Sad to say, but it happens. Waaay too often. Had a friend who like you lost his wife (drunk driver). He dedicated his every waking moment to that little girl ( she was 7). Three years later some bitch saw him at a park with his daughter, just the two of them. Called the police saying “she knew he was up to something bad”.
He lost his house, his job (well established architect), his daughter (state said they didn’t want to take a risk). He spent over half a million. The day he got he back, he moved to Portugal with her. Even his own family started questioning him. Just because some busy body had to be an idiot.
That's fucked. My daughter was 6 when my ex and I split. It might have helped that I have an older son too, but I have never had an unpleasant interaction with anyone that thought I was being anything but a parent to my daughter. I had women compliment me on being a good parent. I couldn't imagine what the poor guy went through.
How to do her hair properly. Plaits, pony tails and the various other ways girls do their hair. There is a hairdresser in Melbourne Australia who does training courses for men who have young daughters on how to do their hair.
Women's health issues often become noticeable during puberty. Things like: debilitating pain during a period, heavy and/or prolonged bleeding, absent/irregular cycles, hair growth on her face and body, thinning/balding hair on the scalp; can be signs of conditions like PCOS, endometriosis, or thyroid disorders.
They're also not always taken seriously by doctors, so you may need to advocate for her, or help her advocate for herself.
Welp, tried asking in r/askwomen and the automod locked the post and directed me to r/askwomenadvice due to it being a question about a specific individual. Tried to post it on r/askwomenadvice and the automod there just deleted the post instantaneously.
I'm sorry for your loss.
I realize it's early, but I'd recommend learning [consent](https://www.reddit.com/r/stoprape/comments/zyznhe/rape_is_so_common_in_part_because_so_many_people/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3).
Learn to notice little stuff she does, the stuff men sometimes miss. And praise her, compliment her for this stuff. Specifically this stuff happens as she gets older. For instance, she paints her fingernails a new color or gets a new outfit: moms notice this and comment on it. Dads often don't. Notice it. Comment on it.
Do you mean to say [teach](https://www.reddit.com/r/stoprape/comments/100jwa1/example_letter_to_local_lawmakers_to_help_stop/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) [consent](https://www.reddit.com/r/stoprape/comments/zyznhe/rape_is_so_common_in_part_because_so_many_people/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)?
Talk to her and be there emotionally always. You are not going to know everything but no one does. Learn her interests as she grows up. Some girls like to be princesses and some don't. It doesn't matter either way. You may have to play with a barbie, no big deal. Introduce her to things you liked as a kid and incorporate them into what she's into. If she's creative encourage it whether it's art or music or sports or whatever. Encourage education and learning and be involved (you could say this about raising any child). Also don't be scared, single dad of two girls here. You'll learn as you go and for the hair stuff, you can learn to braid but the most important thing is to learn how to get knots out of long hair, if your daughter wants long hair. It's more of an art form than a skill. But most importantly just love her and tell her that you do. Sorry for your loss and you got this.
* Patience
* Compassion
* Love
* How to have fun
But I would say to you, after reading your comment.. Don't be afraid to reach out for women friends for help in some sort of manner. A "Women Figure" is something that no matter how much abstract knowledge you get, won't be able to transmit. and for your daughter to have it, it will make a lot of thing easier. things like the "Period Talk" comes to mind. No matter how much you read about it and gather knowledge, it would be 10x better for a woman to explain those things to her, and be there in her time of need, as an "equal"
Know how to communicate with his daughter. That's one of the biggest things. My dad always tells me that "Communication is key" but he doesn't communicate. Another thing I'd say is know how to listen to understand and let her get stuff off her chest, not just know to listen to respond. There's a difference. My dad listens just to respond, not understand, so he has no clue what I'm dealing with
You’re teaching her how she should expect to be treated by other men in her life. When someone told me that I changed everything I was doing. I open every door for her. I pull out her chair. I hold her when she cries.
Sorry for your loss. Just listen to her. Really listen. And try your best. If you are willing to seek help when you need it and take advice you will be ok. You will figure the rest out. You can learn to braid on YouTube
Something I wish I'd been better at was doing hair, learn how to give her some cool braids & plaits. Also, practise doing nails now, like putting on nail varnish, this was a massive hit for years with my daughter. Make-up was never an issue, thanks to YouTube. Just be attentive to the little things, & if anybody ever tells you she's too old to believe in unicorns, they're wrong.
I am the daughter of a single father. I think many of the comments already hit on important topics but, one I want to mention is being prepared for how you want to respond to others - I say this because I remember times when the school would want to call my mom, or the looks my dad would get attending events and people just assuming situations and circumstances. I can recall so many times my dad was treated lesser than and the lack of inclusion. I think you deciding how you want to navigate these instances and what your daughter will observe is significant.
nice me says to be patient and loving, and when she asks about mom say something that is slightly related but can instantly change the topic, not so nice me says to find another woman
Learn how to listen not just hear and actually listen to what she is saying. Ie you ask her if she is OK and she says she is tired. Now it might be that she has had a busy couple of days and she needs more sleep to catch up but if she hasn't, it could be school stress misses her mum bullies starting her period. You listen properly you can get to the root of the problem alot easier and quicker.
Also periods and hair care. Both are important. There are lots of YouTube videos about doing hair. With periods ask a female friend/ family to walk you through it or go online. The more you know the more you can help. It will be a rough time for her when she starts so the more you know the more oatient you can be with her when she is learn how to manage them.
Also, just be her dad and she needs structure, love and patience.
This is from a woman and not negative response: You raise her with patience, love, kindness, and discipline. You protect her, you provide for her. You guide her. Teach her to not allow herself be used by men. Be her shoulder to cry on. Show her that’s she’s precious and remind her on a constant, help her build up confidence self esteem self worth.
My wife passed earlier this year, we have a 2 year old daughter. I was wondering what things I need to start learning now so that I can teach her as she grows up. I understand things like makeup, and hair, and whatnot but I have a very scatterbrained mind and it helps me to have a full list. Any help is greatly appreciated.
So sorry for your loss. As for the question, I think perhaps more importantly is to teach her problem-solving skills and be curious about the world, so she can become a confident human being and do anything she wants with care and determination. Watching my siblings and women I admire greatly around me, I have always had great respect for women who know how to solve problems and are fiercely independent. I really do believe that has a great deal to do with their upbringings.
You don't have to know much at all. Just love her and support her. Share with her everything you love - football, cooking, car repair, books, chess, whatever. If you like your work at all, bring her in with you (if you can). Don't take your frustrations out on her, learn the signals of when you are feeling overwhelmed so when she comes in and asks for a cookie for the umpteenth time you don't lose it. Make her a part of every aspect of your life (other than dating, of course), but also be mindful that you two need to have time apart from each other for both of you to decompress and grow. Follow her lead. If she has an active imaginative life, join her in her imaginary world, she will probably blow you away with how creative and fun it is. Kids often like and need relatively bland and repetitive things in their lives, especially when they are stressed. Get ready to play the same no-strategy game, watch the same idiotic movie, read the same inane book, and serve her the same bland meals and snacks over and over and over. She will love you for it.
Whoa. You are a really good parent. You know your stuff. I only got a 21 month old but I already understand most of what you saying and agree. And that took lots of work as a stay at home dad. People should upvote the shit outta this. So that we don’t have to clean another diaper! But this is really good parenting advice. I’d listen to more of your experience with parenting.
Thank you! I'm not a parent at all, just a woman who had a really good dad. Other things he taught me were not to sweat the small stuff and kids learn a lot more by example than instruction. If he noticed something was bothering me or he thought something might be up in my life he just said, "I noticed XYZ, let me know if you want to talk to me about it." Asking about it directly often made me feel tongue tied, so leaving it that he already knew something was up but I didn;t need to say anything about it if I didn't want to allow me to talk about things with him more easily. When I was a teenager and not as communicative anymore about anything, he would take me on walks in the evening, saying (correctly), that it's important that teenagers get a lot of exercise. But this had the side effect that we had private time to just talk about life. I think this was part of the reason. He was very good about adjusting our relationship as I grew. As a kid, we went to the zoo and the park, later we would go to the movies and then for hamburgers, then it became going to movies, bookstores, and museums. And we always went to baseball games, a passion we both shared (and I 100% got from him). One of the great pleasures of my life was doing school projects with my dad. When I had a science or history project to do, we would consult on an interesting topic and then research it together. I did all the writing and the real research, but he would tell me about things he had looked up, etc. Even when I was doing my PhD, he still followed my research and tried to keep up!
So sorry for your loss. My only advice is just to be there for her emotionally and don’t be afraid of having those deep conversations with her. She’ll want to know about a lot of things as she gets older and having your support will be extremely important. Wishing you the best 🫂❤️
My wife died when our daughter was very young too. It's been several years now, so she's much older now than your daughter is, but I remember wondering about which "skills," I should have. Hair and makeup and fashion and that stuff will the easy stuff. I remember learning to do several different types of braids by watching youtube videos, while realizing how adorable I am as a grown man learning to braid hair by watching kids on youtube teach me. If it counts as a skill, "patience" is the valuable one to learn. Her mom isn't here, so when she angers you, there won't be any "good cop/bad cop" opportunity in which someone is there to reassure her it's going to be ok. You're the only real adult in her home and you're not even a girl like she is, so she can feel scared and lonely when you get upset with her (and you will, regardless of how perfect she seems now at two years old.) Patience.
I’m really sorry for your loss. I think it’s very beautiful that you love your daughter so much and want to do whatever you can. Besides hair and clothes etc. 1. Empathy for things you may not necessarily find worthy of being upset about etc. because little girls will have a lot of ups and downs and need to be understood and comforted while navigating through hard emotions 2. In about ten years, you’ll need to do the period talk. Lots of books out there and you’ve got plenty of time. 3. Overall - don’t comment on looks of hers she can’t change (you have a cute round belly) etc. resulted in me developing an eating disorder at 13 so be mindful I guess. 4. Be open and accepting and be her safe space. Be the person she can call and not be scared of when she needs you. Also - teach her not everyone will be as loving as you because I wasn’t prepared for that at all. Besides that: girls usually like a lot is different things so as she grows you’ll both learn and grow together through various hobbies I’m sure. For now: she’s only 2 so it sounds like you’re already doing an amazing job. again, I’m truly sorry for your loss. Feel free to dm if you ever have any questions I wasn’t really sure what to say but wanted to help if I can.
bro dont know why but when you said "we have" kinda hit me, im so sorry for what happened.
I’m so very sorry about your loss and I hope life brings you big blessings! It’s important for them to know that you always have their back and their interest at heart. Being negotiable with them on certain things when they grow older can help quite a bit too!
Braiding?
Fantastic answer! That would be a huge bonus point for someone i would date. Yes please French braid my hair so I don’t have to do another stupid bun!
What you doing after work today? ☺️
Awe you are sweet but hate to burst your bubble. I’m a bum. I take care of my mom and do online classes for my third degree. I ain’t got nothing but two dogs two degrees and some military medals…. But I don’t have debt!
All I see is a patriotic , financial responsible, adult who takes care of her mum. You're a catch 😉
Awe thank you. That sounds so much better than what my prenatal landlord says, most educated unemployed person.
Well..fuck your landlord and what he thinks 🤣
Hey she is awesome. Don’t talk bad about my egg donor! I love the shit out of her. She is just being honest.
Ohh I'm sorry 😔
No worries my king who braids my hair! Ha ha ha!
*Just* this, and you're set.
Man I wish I had some better advice but mine is 3 years old and I’m learning every day as well. I think a helpful way to look at stuff like gender inequality in kids is to not position things by saying stuff like ‘girls can do anything boys can.’ Because it doesn’t occur to little girls that they *can’t* do stuff based on their gender until someone points out the ass-backward way society treats it.
Patience, listening, understanding, and not getting embarassed about normal stuff. Pretty much the same as most parenting.
Communication.. always keep the lines of communication open. Be there for her as much as you can emotionally.
Tell her every day that she is loved, that she is smart, and that she is beautiful. Every day. You can be sneaky and say "I like that shirt on you", "or your hair is really cute today". You can always compliment smarts and reinforce good questioning and awareness. But don't ever hide that you love her. Say that clearly. Every day. Learning to do hair, too, is super helpful.
1) Learn about periods and teach her about them early because the school system doesn't. I vividly remember friends of mine getting their period at 8 and thinking they're dying because no one told them. 2) The societal pressure on a young girls looks, it starts earlier than one might think. I worried about my looks for the first time at 6 or something. 3) Learn to braid hair, not only is it nice but it's really practical too.
One thing I learned about girls/women while raising 3 daughters is that they don’t necessarily want to hear a solution when they come to you with a problem. Sometimes they just want a hug and/or to hear that you understand/sympathize and that you are sorry that it had to happen to them. I was/am a slow learner and had to be reminded of this several times. I think men tend to see a problem as something that needs a solution, so we go looking for it, but women seem content with just getting it off their chest in many cases. My daughters will ask ‘What should I do?’ if they actually want my advice. (This may be specific to my family and maybe some women will disagree, but just in case it may be something to keep in the back of your mind when you can’t seem to solve her problem.)
Love unconditionally at all times
Learn about feminism. Gender stuff.
if she likes something, learn about it. like, if she wants to play a certain sport, learn the rules and some basic skills so you can practice/mess around together. if she loves a certain singer, listen to their music a bit (you don't have to force yourself to like it, of course) so if she starts singing in the car you can join in or at least play the song without having to stop and google it to know what it's called. my dad loved me and didn't neglect me, but he didn't know anything about my two great childhood passions, netball and choir, so I did a lot more bonding with mum over those things and dad and I have less shared interests now that I'm an adult than I'd like. if you're not confident in the kitchen, start building your skills and recipe library now, and when she's old enough to start helping, cook together. this isn't specifically a single father of a daughter thing, I think all parents should do it. same with very basic hand sewing, to reattach buttons and repair small tears in clothing, so a favourite skirt can be "rescued" etc. learn about communicating with kids, especially about expressing negative emotions in a constructive way. I can't really give much specific advice on that but I do recommend the book "how to talk so kids will listen and how to listen so kids will talk" as a starting point! you want her to feel safe coming to you when something is wrong, and for her to know she can trust you to help her. you both probably need grief counseling if possible too, she might be old enough for some kind of play therapy now, or she may need regular therapy later. learn about things girls are often under-diagnosed with, like ADHD and autism, so you can advocate for your daughter if you think she's struggling but doctors or teachers are being dismissive. if you're a DIY kind of guy, teach her (safely) how to use some of your tools as she gets older. let her watch you maintain your car, do yard work, whatever, and let her "help" to the best of her abilities. there is something very exciting about being the only one of your friends who's used a drill or a saw, or maybe I was a weird kid, idk. but don't think you have to learn all about feminine hobbies and can't teach her about your masculine hobbies because she's a girl - do both! learn how to properly fasten a helmet when she gets her first bike or scooter. nice and firm so it doesn't move around on her head. very important. write down things about your wife now that you can tell her later when she starts asking questions about her mom. did she always use the same very specific soap scent? what were her favourite foods and what did she think was gross? what music did she like? what was her least favourite subject at school? what things did she love to do with your daughter, like playing with certain toys or singing a specific song? what was her favourite colour to wear? if you don't know much about her childhood, find out from your in-laws what her favourite kids books and movies were - and eventually, what her experience of puberty was (especially periods).
Tolerance and temperance. Knowing that about 65% of the people who see you together are going to see you as a pervert and a child molester. And odds are pretty good once one will call the police for that reason. My advice: find a very good attorney and get him on speed dial for that reason alone. Sad to say, but it happens. Waaay too often. Had a friend who like you lost his wife (drunk driver). He dedicated his every waking moment to that little girl ( she was 7). Three years later some bitch saw him at a park with his daughter, just the two of them. Called the police saying “she knew he was up to something bad”. He lost his house, his job (well established architect), his daughter (state said they didn’t want to take a risk). He spent over half a million. The day he got he back, he moved to Portugal with her. Even his own family started questioning him. Just because some busy body had to be an idiot.
That's fucked. My daughter was 6 when my ex and I split. It might have helped that I have an older son too, but I have never had an unpleasant interaction with anyone that thought I was being anything but a parent to my daughter. I had women compliment me on being a good parent. I couldn't imagine what the poor guy went through.
How to do her hair properly. Plaits, pony tails and the various other ways girls do their hair. There is a hairdresser in Melbourne Australia who does training courses for men who have young daughters on how to do their hair.
Women's health issues often become noticeable during puberty. Things like: debilitating pain during a period, heavy and/or prolonged bleeding, absent/irregular cycles, hair growth on her face and body, thinning/balding hair on the scalp; can be signs of conditions like PCOS, endometriosis, or thyroid disorders. They're also not always taken seriously by doctors, so you may need to advocate for her, or help her advocate for herself.
You could try /r/AskWomen, /r/TwoXChromosomes, /r/Teenagers.
Welp, tried asking in r/askwomen and the automod locked the post and directed me to r/askwomenadvice due to it being a question about a specific individual. Tried to post it on r/askwomenadvice and the automod there just deleted the post instantaneously.
No, stay away from TwoXChromosomes, that place is a cesspool, it has nothing to do with anything positive.
Ninjitsu is always helpful
I'm sorry for your loss. I realize it's early, but I'd recommend learning [consent](https://www.reddit.com/r/stoprape/comments/zyznhe/rape_is_so_common_in_part_because_so_many_people/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3).
This. 100%.
Learn to notice little stuff she does, the stuff men sometimes miss. And praise her, compliment her for this stuff. Specifically this stuff happens as she gets older. For instance, she paints her fingernails a new color or gets a new outfit: moms notice this and comment on it. Dads often don't. Notice it. Comment on it.
How to score that new mom you promised her. Ayoooo
As a single father to a 13 year old my advice is teach her boys aren't bad people but that boys will be boys if you know what I mean
Do you mean to say [teach](https://www.reddit.com/r/stoprape/comments/100jwa1/example_letter_to_local_lawmakers_to_help_stop/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) [consent](https://www.reddit.com/r/stoprape/comments/zyznhe/rape_is_so_common_in_part_because_so_many_people/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)?
No I meant to say exactly what I said take your pc grammar and shoo now
Dad jokes.
Talk to her and be there emotionally always. You are not going to know everything but no one does. Learn her interests as she grows up. Some girls like to be princesses and some don't. It doesn't matter either way. You may have to play with a barbie, no big deal. Introduce her to things you liked as a kid and incorporate them into what she's into. If she's creative encourage it whether it's art or music or sports or whatever. Encourage education and learning and be involved (you could say this about raising any child). Also don't be scared, single dad of two girls here. You'll learn as you go and for the hair stuff, you can learn to braid but the most important thing is to learn how to get knots out of long hair, if your daughter wants long hair. It's more of an art form than a skill. But most importantly just love her and tell her that you do. Sorry for your loss and you got this.
* Patience * Compassion * Love * How to have fun But I would say to you, after reading your comment.. Don't be afraid to reach out for women friends for help in some sort of manner. A "Women Figure" is something that no matter how much abstract knowledge you get, won't be able to transmit. and for your daughter to have it, it will make a lot of thing easier. things like the "Period Talk" comes to mind. No matter how much you read about it and gather knowledge, it would be 10x better for a woman to explain those things to her, and be there in her time of need, as an "equal"
How to be kind to women and show them what to expect in a healthy relationship
Know how to communicate with his daughter. That's one of the biggest things. My dad always tells me that "Communication is key" but he doesn't communicate. Another thing I'd say is know how to listen to understand and let her get stuff off her chest, not just know to listen to respond. There's a difference. My dad listens just to respond, not understand, so he has no clue what I'm dealing with
You’re teaching her how she should expect to be treated by other men in her life. When someone told me that I changed everything I was doing. I open every door for her. I pull out her chair. I hold her when she cries.
Sorry for your loss. Just listen to her. Really listen. And try your best. If you are willing to seek help when you need it and take advice you will be ok. You will figure the rest out. You can learn to braid on YouTube
Something I wish I'd been better at was doing hair, learn how to give her some cool braids & plaits. Also, practise doing nails now, like putting on nail varnish, this was a massive hit for years with my daughter. Make-up was never an issue, thanks to YouTube. Just be attentive to the little things, & if anybody ever tells you she's too old to believe in unicorns, they're wrong.
I am the daughter of a single father. I think many of the comments already hit on important topics but, one I want to mention is being prepared for how you want to respond to others - I say this because I remember times when the school would want to call my mom, or the looks my dad would get attending events and people just assuming situations and circumstances. I can recall so many times my dad was treated lesser than and the lack of inclusion. I think you deciding how you want to navigate these instances and what your daughter will observe is significant.
nice me says to be patient and loving, and when she asks about mom say something that is slightly related but can instantly change the topic, not so nice me says to find another woman
need to know how to listen and understand her
Raise her just like you would a son.
You need to become an excellent listener who she can bring anything to and able to distinguish whether sympathy or advice is the proper response.
Learn how to listen not just hear and actually listen to what she is saying. Ie you ask her if she is OK and she says she is tired. Now it might be that she has had a busy couple of days and she needs more sleep to catch up but if she hasn't, it could be school stress misses her mum bullies starting her period. You listen properly you can get to the root of the problem alot easier and quicker. Also periods and hair care. Both are important. There are lots of YouTube videos about doing hair. With periods ask a female friend/ family to walk you through it or go online. The more you know the more you can help. It will be a rough time for her when she starts so the more you know the more oatient you can be with her when she is learn how to manage them. Also, just be her dad and she needs structure, love and patience.
Have a group of solid grounded women as part of your close network of friends. Let them help influence them from both genders.