From the First Hello to Infinite Love: A Father-Daughter Bond



 

The love and bond between fathers and daughters can be one of the most powerful and rewarding relationships in the world. To find out what father-daughter love means, we asked four people who have experienced this kind of bond to share their thoughts on it. Here’s what they had to say.

 

The first smile

The first time a baby smiles at their father is one of the most beautiful moments in life. When that baby's mother is no easy going and supportive, it can be even more wonderful. My daughter, Mari eke, was born with Down syndrome and my wife, Erica, and I didn't know how she would react when she saw her daughter for the first time. But as soon as I met her in person for the first time on day two of her life, I swear she had a smile on her face.

The first word

When I met my daughter for the first time in the hospital, she was only six hours old. She had been born with a congenital heart defect and underwent surgery within 24 hours of her birth. My wife, Ashley, told me later that our daughter has known her dad since she first opened her eyes because I was on one side of her incubator and my wife was on the other. When it became apparent that something had gone wrong during surgery and we needed another procedure to remove excess tissue from inside a major artery (intra-aortic balloon pump), our daughter lost nearly 1/3 of her blood volume and would have died without our intervention.



 

Life's biggest lessons

1. When someone says that you can't do something or don't have a chance, prove them wrong.

2. There's no such thing as too late and always live with no regrets. Life is too short for regret and resentment; you never know when your time is up.

3. Help people whenever you can because in turn it will come back to you at some point in life! The world has too many self-centered individuals who only think about themselves; it’s time we start putting others before ourselves and making their lives better with our support.

4. It takes dedication, courage, hard work, faith and faithfulness for success in anything you do whether it be family or business ventures alike!

 

Unconditional love is real

Children typically take a long time before they feel comfortable enough with their parents and other adults in their lives. That's what children do. But when my daughter was born, she greeted me in her own unique way – with a little shove and a resounding cry that told me exactly how she felt about me (and yes, it made me tear up a little too). She greeted me as if we'd been old friends, who hadn't seen each other for ages, even though I had just left her room two minutes ago to grab something from downstairs. And since then, this remarkable little person has constantly surprised me by knowing exactly what I need at all times, sensing when I'm tired or sad or angry, reminding me to give myself permission to laugh and relax once in a while.

 

Daughter's reach out beyond their fathers' limits

Some fathers believe that their daughters are not capable of anything and cannot even tie their own shoes, but this is not true. When I first started ballet, I had no idea what to do with my feet or how to hold my arms and body. My dad took me out of class after class because he did not know what else he could do.

To teach me more about ballet, we started practicing together in our living room as if we were in a studio and watched YouTube videos together to learn new steps. After just three months of practicing every day for two hours each day, I went back into my ballet classes and had improved tremendously.

 

Dad, do you remember?

Dad, do you remember when I was little and I would cuddle with you on the couch?  You would make sure that my homework was done before asking for your own. How about when I lost my first tooth and instead of buying something new, you gave me one of your old cards from high school.



The final goodbye

I'm going on a trip. and would not be back for a while. She cried in my arms so much that I felt like crying too, but had to hold it in for her sake. We love each other dearly, but I can only imagine how she'll feel after I'm gone. I wish we had more time together and that there was something I could do. I worry about her future, about where she will end up after college, about who will love her as much as she loves me? How will she find someone when she doesn't even know how?

I picked her up for our last goodbye before boarding my flight home and she cried into my shoulder again.