Have you ever watched the movie ‘Father of the Bride’?  For those of you who haven’t it’s about a father who is struggling (in a humorous way) to come to terms with his baby girl growing up and getting married.  In our home, Richard has already made a few joking (i hope) comments about Anya not being allowed near boys till she’s at least 25!    But boys aside, fathers and daughters do have a very special relationship.  It’s a different bond from what mothers and daughters share.  As Fathers Day is on Sunday I wanted to share a few lovely yet unexpected differences in our relationship that I have noticed and wondered if you have noticed these too:

1.  The bonding time took much longer for Richard.  He loved Anya from the day she was born and probably before but he didn’t find it easy bonding with a baby.  And then 6 months in to her life, everything changed and the bond grew stronger and stronger from there on.

2. He notices lovely little things about her that I miss.  Little facial expressions, big new words she uses, if she’s grown a millimetre. Maybe because I spend a lot more time with her or maybe because he sees her differently than I do.

3.  He falls for her feminine wiles each and every time!  All children want to get their way.  Boys tend to be more straightforward asking for what they want whereas girls can be a bit more creative.  When Anya is plotting to get her way, I can see what she is up to from the start.  But Richard innocently falls for her ploys hook, line and sinker!  And the best part is that she knows this and takes full advantage.

4. He lovingly makes complex DIY things for her that she adores like dolls houses and magnetic fishing games.  Recently he made her a ride-on plane from a large cardboard box and when she tired of the plane and demanded a boat, he stayed up late in to the night to transform the plane in to a boat so she would wake up to it the next morning.

5.  Anya gets away with doing things to Richard that no other person on the planet could do.  Like putting frilly clips in his hair or even painting his nails!

Have you noticed any special little differences in the way you and your partner are with your daughter?  Or maybe this applies to sons too in a different way?  I’m really curious to hear.

A very happy Fathers day to all the wonderful dads out there! x

{photo by ebabee when Anya just turned 1}