Oct 30, 2017
Girls who grow up with fathers who are angry, dismissive, and/or emotionally absent will grow up to be women who take a lot of shit from men. (Generally speaking, of course.) This well-evidenced assumption can be a source of tremendous anxiety for fathers who are raising young women. Rare, indeed, is the father who couldn’t care less about his child’s future. But, unfortunately, rare indeed is also the father who had healthy, egalitarian hetereosexual relationships modeled for him as a child. And rarer still is the father who has a support system of other Dads who can mentor him and support him as he tries to navigate this strange and unfamiliar new territory.
In this episode, two-thirds of the Deep Dive Guys — Dan and Tim — talk with special guest Cody Gardener about the art and science of raising girls. All are fathers of girls ranging from age 10 to 18 months, and all have had their fair share of doubts, struggles, and fears. If ever the phrase, “it’s not about doing it perfectly, it’s about doing it consciously” applies, it’s here. The guys show us that men who can own the fact that they’ve made mistakes and try to repair the damage can have a tremendously positive impact on their daughter’s growth and well-being.