Apparently everyone goes shopping for homecoming dresses at the exact same time.
I was taking my daughter Sydney on a one-on-one when she casually mentioned that she would like to go to homecoming with some of her friends this weekend (all girlfriends thank heaven!).
“And I guess I’ll need to get a dress.”
“Really?! Sweet!”
So off we went to the department store to try on dresses (well, for her to try on dresses).
When we walked into the store I suddenly discovered two uncomfortable things:
- It seemed every teenage girl in Cincinnati picked today to pick out their dress.
- Dads are not supposed to take their daughters dress shopping.
I only assumed this second point because, despite the enormous crowd, I was literally the only male in sight.
So I wondered what possessed me to actually be excited about going dress shopping with Syd.
And I had a lot of time to think about this topic while I was crammed next to a hundred moms waiting, what seemed like forever, for our daughters to emerge from the dressing rooms.
For me the answer is kind of simple.
I want each of my daughters to know that I think they’re beautiful.
We don’t want our daughters to become vain or trust in their beauty but we as fathers can play a critical role in helping their hearts rest confidently in their femininity.
The Lord says about Israel when she came of age,
“I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk. And I adorned you with ornaments and put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck. And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord God.”
-Ezekiel 16:10-14
Convincing our daughter’s hearts that they are beautiful in the eyes of their dad is a challenge each of us get to engage in as our daughters grow.
Jeremy
P.S. Jeff and I discuss five ways to love our daughters well in this video.
This entry is a part of Jeremy’s Journal, a newsletter Jeremy sends out every Wednesday morning to encourage you on your parenting journey. You can sign up to get them every Wednesday here.
