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Key Bible Verse: Holding her hand, he said, "Get up, little girl!" (Mark 5:41). Bonus Reading: Mark 5:21-24;35-43

Boys and girls both need their father's affection, but studies have shown that fathers should use different approaches with sons compared to daughters.

Daughters need face-to-face affection. They gain more when their dads demonstrate affection with hugs, kisses, and other loving expressions—often face-to-face. A girl's sense of worth as a woman is largely influenced by her relationship with her dad. When she's younger, it may seem natural to cuddle your cute little girl. Yet before you know it, she's become more like a woman—and it may seem awkward to show her the same kind of affection you did when she was younger.

But keep in mind that she's trying to figure out men, and you're her closest and best example of one. That's why she needs to continue to receive healthy affection from you. Instead of withdrawing from your daughter because of your discomfort—perhaps causing her to think, Dad doesn't care, or, There must be something wrong with me—you can show her what proper male affection sounds and feels like.

By making your daughter feel accepted and loved, you'll also remove her need to look for that love and acceptance in the wrong places.

—Ken Canfield in They Call Me Dad

My Response: Ways I can continue to model male affection to my maturing daughter include …

Thought to Apply: You may hammer a boy into shape as you would a piece of bronze. But you can't hammer a girl into anything. She grows as a flower does.—JOHN RUSKIN

Adapted from They Call Me Dad (Howard, 2005) by permission.

Copyright © 2007 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.

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Prayer for the Week

Help me, Lord, to empower my children by investing in their physical, emotional, and spiritual maturity.

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