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Rites of Spring

The Father-Daughter Bond

By Jay Sauls

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I smile and wave back. The frog is clenched back in her left hand. "A lefty! A natural curve ball!" I whisper to no one in particular. I re-secure her blanket and head for the car. We leave the park with a renewed sense of fatherhood and possibilities. So my camping trips will be a little more civilized. I guess I can live with a touch of lace on the tent.

The park gradually disappears behind me. A speaker over-hanging the bleachers suddenly announces, "Now batting, number 23, Dakota Sauls!"

Dad-to-Dad

Why do fathers matter so much to daughters? "Because any girl growing up will want to know what draws the interest of the opposite sex and Dad is the first person of the opposite sex she gets to know," says Joe Kelly, executive director of Dads and Daughters, and founder of New Moon: The Magazine for Girls and Their Dreams. "So when I focus on her inner talents and range of capabilities, I am telling her how special she is, and that she should expect the same treatment from every male she loves. I am also countering the pervasive cultural messages that say how girls look is more important than who they are. Ask an adult woman about her relationship with her father, and you'll quickly have proof of how important you are to your daughter."

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