“To have a father who delights in knowing and loving them is one of the greatest blessings any girl can have.”

In the third and final ‘square-table’ conversation, Andy and Stephen are joined by Jonny McKane and Evan Reid, to talk about raising daughters today.

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Reflection from Stephen:

We can sometimes fight against the reality that our daughters will one day become women and will leave home. As Andy says near the end of this episode: “I don’t want my daughter to change!”

Who relates? I know I want my one and half year old daughter to forever stay small, cute and slightly squidgy!

At the heart of this feeling is a mix of love and joy. Yet, what I learned in this conversation was that the loving, joyful relationship between a father and his daughter is foundational and formative in her journey to womanhood.

Of course, there is much we need to think about as we raise our girls (and we cover a lot in this episode), but never underestimate the place of joy.

To have a father who delights in knowing and loving them is one of the greatest blessings any girl can have.

In this conversation we talk about:

• The joys of being a father to a daughter
• How we can exasperate them
• Hopes and fears as your daughter grows from girl to woman
• How a father-daughter relationship changes over time
• Journeying with the emotions of your daughter
• Not being scared to speak
• Cherishing her now while preparing her for the future

Two songs for fathers with Daughters

1. Be kind to yourself - by Andrew Peterson
   A song from a father to a teenage daughter.
   We challenge any father to watch this video and have dry eyes at the end.
   V2
   "I know it’s hard to hear it when the anger in your spirit is pointed like an arrow to your chest.
   When the voices in your mind are anything but kind, and you can’t believe your father knows best.
   I love you just the way that you are, I love the way He made your precious heart.
   Be kind to yourself"
2. Banks - By NEEDTOBREATHE
   A song about caring without controlling.
   Chorus:
   "I want to hold you close, but never hold you back.
   Like the banks of a river"