. . . pray your baby will sleep through the night?
. . . wish she’d stay this age forever?
. . . ever think, Why are there three of us in bed?
. . . chuckle at the thought that your four-year-old would make a good courtroom attorney someday?
. . . wonder why “she looked at me” is a criminal offense?
. . . find yourself muttering, “Nine-year-olds don’t need cell phones”?
. . . wish you could understand that unfathomable feminine mind better?
. . . wonder what “I’ll be ready in a minute” really means?
. . . struggle with the concept that her hair is close to sacred?
. . . feel like Judge Judy or Dr. Phil should be on retainer?
. . . wonder why it’s so important that a shirt matches the rest of an outfit, and why she needs twenty-two pairs of shoes when you only have three?
. . . have to extract your toothbrush from the tangle of curling irons, hair flatteners, extensions, scrunchies, and other do-jobbies in the bathroom?
. . . wish you had a definition for the word whatever?
. . . hope you discover gold in your backyard so you can pay for her upcoming college education?
. . . want to put in for a job that requires lots of travel to avoid her dizzying mood swings?
. . . ever wonder why her “coffee” costs $3.60 a cup?
. . . lie awake at night fearing your daughter will bring home a Loser, with a capital L?
. . . question what makes a $400 dress better than a $40 one? (After all, they use about the same amount of material.)
. . . believe your daughter could win Olympic gold in eye-rolling?
. . . dream up a new design every week for a man cave in the garage?
. . . feel like General Custer some Friday nights—making your “Last Stand”?
Dad, with just a little effort on your part, you can gain the kind of relationship you dream of with your daughter—one based on mutual love and respect. Your daughter needs you to help her forge a successful path in life. Her self-esteem, choices, behavior, character, and even her ideas about a marriage partner are all directly tied to you. If you follow the simple suggestions in Be the Dad She Needs You to Be, you will be transformed into the kind of man your daughter needs you to be . . . for a lifetime.