When parents argue excessively and for too long, it can leave their daughter feeling insecure and fearful. Even if it’s not the parents’ intention to cause harm, ongoing conflict can threaten a girl’s sense of safety. If this pattern occurs for an extended period of time, it can negatively impact a girl’s self-esteem.
Fortunately, there are plenty of things you can do to protect your daughter from the damaging effects of long-term conflict during and after divorce. As a Divorced Dad, you can empower your daughter with a willingness to put her interests first and by using the strategies outlined below.
Fathers are the key to their daughter’s future according to internationally renowned psychologist Kevin Leman. He writes, “That evidence shows that a father’s relationship with his daughter is one of the key determinants in a woman’s ability to enjoy a successful life and marriage.”
Keep your eye on the big picture in terms of your daughter’s future and think about how you want her to describe her relationship with you in ensuing years. Tell your daughter she is capable of anything. Daughters need to view their fathers respecting women and valuing their intelligence, opinions, and talents in order to thrive and become self-confident women.
There’s no denying that a girl’s relationship with her father is one of the most crucial in her life. The quality of that connection – good, damaged, or otherwise – powerfully impacts dads and daughters in a multiple of ways. A father’s effect on his daughter’s psychological well-being and identity is far-reaching. A daughter’s sense of self, for instance, is often connected to how her father views her. A girl stands a better chance of becoming a self-confident woman if she has a close bond with her father.
Divorce can be difficult for a child. All at once, their family life gets turned upside down. You may not initially see the impact of a painful divorce on the kids, so keep in mind that your kids may be hurting even if they aren’t showing it.
Most kids who experience divorce are resilient and do not exhibit psychological problems. Still, children of divorced parents are at higher risk for certain things, such as academic difficulties, disruptive behaviors, and depression. They are also more at risk for experiencing poverty, engaging in risky behaviors, and encountering their own family instability as they grow older.