Rich Kirkpatrick can be found messing around at http://www.richkirkpatrick.com.

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The Words of a Father Must be Spoken…especially to daughters

My daughter: “Dad, high school is just so hard…” She says this with tears welling up.

Me: “God has made you for something special. Unfortunately, special is not going to mean easy.”

My daughter: She smirks and laughs through her swollen eyes.

This interchange comes after what to my daughter Emilie was three weeks of learning what it is like to go from small town Christian school to a freshman class of over 700 peers in a suburb of Southern California. Her first weeks proved tough.

There was the transgendered kid who harrassed her before class and even during a verbal report at class. She had to move desks. And, lesbian girls as she left class flaunted there kissing of each other every day after one of her school periods. Then, there was the boy who just stared at her. Some of her youth group girlfriends call her a nun at school since she points out how she will not date since her parents won’t let her and of course it something she does not feel ready to do.

This week put her over the top. A boy and his friend asked her for money with the threat of punching her in the face. My daughter responded that she would take him down since she knows karate.

Needless to say, on Friday tears and hugs and words were in order. But words seemed to be most important, especially coming from a dad. I had to speak to her. I had to tell her that she means something very special to me and that I thought she was worth more than how she was being treated.

Yes, this transition to school is a bit tough for her. It would be even more so if I just did not say a word. Dad’s, we need to speak to our daughters. It makes more of a difference than you or I will ever know.

What words do you think dads need to speak to their daughters?