BY Alicia Cruz The Black Urban Times
Too often, we tend to treat fathers as sidekicks especially if daddy is either divorced or never married mommy. While financial support is important, the day-to-day interaction of a father with his daughter is just as important for a little girl’s emotional development.
The bond between a father and his daughter is essential to how a little girl will view, interact and love the men she chooses in her womanhood. That bond or the lack thereof will also dictate what type of man a daughter will gravitate towards as she becomes a woman as her father serves as the first man to set a healthy or negative example of manhood for a little girl.
What we must focus on is daddy's presence and his consistency.
It is imperative that a father and daughter bond begin as early as possible during a little girls formative years so that she does not enter her womanhood lessened and demeaned or confused about what role a man should play in a relationship and how.
Men Standing in The Gap, an organization based out of Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, knows the importance of a father-daughter bond. They believe that they can help teach other men the importance of this bond by first developing the whole man.
It seems that MSIGT has devoted them to providing all men (father or not) an avenue by which they can be challenged to grow in order to epitomize the essence of manhood so that if they become fathers, they will have begun developing the tools they will need in order to be better fathers. The organization sponsors several community activities geared towards positive growth between fathers and their children and families such as "Get On The Bus," the Men & Boys Outing, and the Triangle Area Father-Daughter Dance.
If you or someone you know can benefit from Men Standing in The Gap's Boot Camp, click here and check out their Men's Empowerment Workshop and other resources.
It is an event that is designed to be an avenue by which fathers and daughters of all ages, races and backgrounds come together to celebrate and strengthen their father-daughter bond.
On this evening, fathers from all over North Carolina bring their little princesses out for an enchanting evening of dinner, dance and fun.
Unfortunately, not every little princess is blessed to have her father present, be it for personal reasons or employment obligations (military, etc), but unfazed by these circumstances, MSTG takes special care to ensure these little princesses get to partake in the evening anyway by offering "Special Princess Access."
The committee selects little princesses, under the age of 18, falling under the aforementioned circumstances and provides them with attire, accessories, transportation and admission to the dance.
Men Standing in the Gap asks that you stop by their website and if you're interested in making a little princess feel like a diamond on this special night, sponsor a little girl.
If everyone sponsored just one girl, we could really make a difference in the lives of hundreds of young ladies who aren’t fortunate enough to have their fathers in their lives.
Here's your chance to give back and make a difference in the lives of little girls and young ladies who will forever remember this evening as they grow into women. Talk to your employers, pull out your checkbooks, run it by organizations or exceptional, upstanding men that may be interested in sponsoring a little girl for the event.
If you would like to be apart of any future Triangle Father Daughter event contact the organization HERE.
We must remember and begin reinforcing the importance of fathers and positive, healthy father figures in the lives of young girls whose fathers are not in their lives on a day-to-day basis.
This years Father Daughter Dance is set for February 13, 2010 at 6:00pm. The event will be held at the magnificent Marbles Kids' Museum at
201 E. Hargett Street, Raleigh, North Carolina or call 919.846.0491 for more information.
If you are interested in sponsorship, volunteer opportunities, creating a dance in your area or participating in the Single Princess program email the organization here
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