Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Parenting

I am persuaded that the making of mature and confident young women includes sporadic tickling from their fathers. Wisdom is important here because too much can just be annoying on the receiving end.

But when you think of all the ways that dads physically interact with their little girls: hugs, kisses, carrying, and holding; tickling only, guarantees laughing delight and there is something about that that is magic. There is so much going on here both immediate and for the future that any calculator programmed to attempt a computation would blow its circuits. A girl that is getting that type of attention from the alpha-male in her life is less likely to have intimate cravings that manifest themselves in her eyes, words, attire and actions.
This also will help them know what to look for in a husband. They will pass on the attentions of the ‘tragic figure’ and look for the hero who not only wants to save the world but also enjoys doing it. (Yeah, I know that I’m not pouring concrete here or attempting poetics but this is a huge subject and the rest of our lives; so listen to the lunatic.)    

As a dad, I not only tickle, but I also discipline. You can see how that applies to our daughter’s relationship to their Heavenly Father. When they read the scriptures, they will be more likely to see God as more than just a strict disciplinarian or Jesus as a push-over. This is not an attempt at balance but a living out of the glorious norm.


Yep, tickling is a vital connection between dads and daughters. God gave us this physical cause and effect that shapes life uniquely. Its absence leaves leanness in the souls of all involved: the dad, the daughter, the future husband, and the future children.

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