Daddy's Little Princess

"It was my father who taught me to value myself.
He told me that I was uncommonly beautiful
and that I was the most precious thing
in his life."
- Dawn French

    I remember as a little girl, getting dressed up on Sunday mornings before church and going into my parents' bedroom to model my Sunday best. "Daddy, am I pretty?" I'd ask and he would respond by saying, "Yes, you're beautiful." Daddy never failed to remind me that I was beautiful. 

     I often tell the story of how many times Daddy made me go back upstairs and change my outfit. As a little girl, it was probably because my t-shirt didn't match my pants. But as I got in my middle school years, it was because that tank top wasn't appropriate for the school dance. I would argue that all the other girls could wear the famous spaghetti straps of the nineties, so why couldn't I. The infamous, "because I said so, " would be said and I'd march up the stairs to change into a t-shirt. In High School, it might have been because my shorts or dresses were too short or tight. One time I made the snarky remark that I'd just dress like a nun and he'd be happy. Of course, his remark back was to say, well yeah. By my Junior year of High School, however, I was learning to be grateful for those times that Daddio made me march up the stairs and "put more clothes on." All those times I thought Dad was against me (and the latest fads), He was actually for me. He was reminding me, without saying it, of what true beauty is. True beauty was not showing skin and curves. Beauty was my brain. Beauty was my gift of words. Beauty was my personality. Beauty was my kindness, my smile, my love. Beauty was not showing off my body. Beauty was loving others and loving myself. Wait...beauty was? No. Beauty still is.

     This past weekend we celebrated Father's Day. I've often questioned why we call it Father's day....why so formal? I, just like many people, have never really called my Father, Father. I've called him Dad, Daddy and Daddio. So why not Dad's Day? And also, where did the title Dad even come from? It obviously denotes a closer relationship between child and father, which is pretty cool. At Mass on Sunday, I was contemplating all these things when we started to sing Abba, Father. That's when I remembered one of my grade school teachers telling me that Abba actually meant Daddy and not Father. This means, if we called God, Abba and not Father, we are actually acknowledging a closer relationship with Him. But is this really true? How many do not have a healthy, close relationship with God? Why are we stuck in a generation that continuously calls God, Father, when we could be calling Him, Daddy? 

     My family often jokes that my own Daddio set the bar so high that the only man who could ever go above and beyond that bar is Jesus, which is why I have to marry Him. Of course, I know some very wholesome young men in my life and I know for sure, that they will "grow up" to be wonderful Dads like my own Daddy. My Dad not only set the bar high, however, he allowed me to know, see, and understand God. I hope all those young men in my life do the same for their daughters and their sons. 

     Dads are meant to be the earthly example of God the Father. My Dad has taught me not only about my beauty and personal value as a young woman, but he has done so much. My Dad has given me an appreciation for nature. He has shown me the happiness that can come from simply sitting near the water, may it be ocean, river or lake. He has shown me the beauty of the sunsets and sunrises. He has shown me the respect and love I deserve. He has shown me that everything around me is a gift. He has shown me the value of true, lifelong friendship (because all my crazy "uncles" are my dad's best friends from when he was a wee little tot). He has shown me the dazzlement that can come from simplicity. He has shown me that all the good things in life come without a price tag. It's the truth. By my Dad being such a good Dad, he has shown me God. It kind of goes like this:

      God made all of the wondrous nature around us, for us. It was as if He wanted to give us a beautiful gift and He made the trees, the water, the land for  us to be happy. God made us as His children to be loved, adored and respected by everyone. He also made us to love, adore and respect our fellow brothers and sisters. Because He made is and we deserve it. God made us for friendship with others and with his Son...for life. God has given us so much so as to dazzle us with the beauty that surrounds us. God has given me a love so deep that shows me that I'm beautiful. My Daddio has helped me realize all of this about God. However, this is not the same for many people. 

     I have developed a theory that the reason we do not call God, Dad, is that many in today's society do not have the same relationship I have with my Daddy. On Father's day, social media explodes with devotions to Dads around the world, but I wonder how many young women have been told, from a very young age, that they were beautiful? Many in today's society do not know the feeling of having a Dad, a Daddy or a Daddio. Many do not even know the feeling of having a Father. Of course, many psychologists have said that women who do not have a good relationship with their Fathers wind up in bad relationships with men because they do not know what to look for. Dads must set the bar high. (I'll get back to this). However, I think there is something else going on here. Rarely do we hear God referred to as Dad. It is hard to develop a relationship with He who we cannot see, yes? Yes. In today's day and age, our generations and the generations below us are suffering from a Fatherlessness that many before us do not know. If our generations cannot trust or confide in or even speak with the physical fathers in life, than how can we even imagine developing a relationship with God, the Father who we cannot see? That's the confusion today. My prayer is that all those wholesome young men in my life go on to be the Daddy's their children need so they can know God. 

      My Daddy has taught me, from a very young age, that I am a beautiful young princess. He has shown me my value and beauty as a young woman. He has shown me that God loves me, regardless of what I might do wrong. Because at the end of the day, if I made a mistake, my Daddy is still going to love me. Just like God. I've been blessed with such a great Dad. By his being such a strong man, he has shown me how to be a strong and faith-filled young woman. So, while I may not call God, Dad, Daddy, or even Daddio, (I think I can go for a Pops), I know that He is more than just a Father for me. God is my Abba and I can thank my Dad for helping me realize that. Of course, I think it's every little girl's dream to make her Daddy proud. So, one day I hope I can because I know I sure am proud to be his and His daughter. My final remark is this: My Daddy, while being a great one, has always been a Dad to so many of my friends. Sometimes, my friends even call my Daddy, Dad. You know what? That makes me happy, too. Because God just isn't my Pops, He's yours, too.