They can be gentle and roughhouse, go on roller-coasters and play tea party. They enjoy playing with dolls and much as playing ball. Fathers build in their daughters the confidence to be self-sufficient in the world without continually running back home for support. Their relationship often mirrors the kind of relationships their daughters will choose. The father helps her become independent from him and is the only one who can really confirm for her that she is unique and separate from her mother.
Fathers are open, loving and vulnerable.
It's vulnerability that encourages fathers to show not only their strengths but their weaknesses so that the daughter can learn to accept these in herself and from others. Sexual Distancing Fathers have a major impact on their daughters view of their own femininity and sexuality and are very good at accepting their display of sexuality in stride. As she goes through puberty, the underlying attraction between them is understood and acknowledges these feelings, confirming that he, too, is a sexual being. Unfortunately, as our daughters move through this time and start to develop physically, sexually and emotionally, some fathers withdrawal from their daughters. This usually happens because he isn't clear on how to react, how to work with the feelings that are inside of him, and how to deal with the sexual energy his daughter is displaying.