Being More Relaxed & Honest
Daughters say……
"Instead of getting frustrated like I used to when he’d ask me questions, I see now that he asks because he loves me, not because he’s trying to pry or interfere with my life."
"I have stopped pouting and walking away every time we disagree about something. My hiding so much about myself from him was hurting him so much."
"When he asks how I am, I have quit saying "fine" when I’m not. I have stopped assuming that he just magically ought to know what’s going on in my life without my being open with him."
"Now that I’m talking more honestly, he told me he wishes he had been more personal and more communicative with me. I couldn’t believe it because that’s exactly what I have always hoped he might say."
"I couldn’t imagine ever talking to my father about feelings. When we got to talking about his dad, I saw him fight not to show me his pain. I actually reached over to him and said it was ok to talk to me about it. It was such a weird moment- me reaching out to my dad for the first time."
"Because I started talking to him in the ways Nielsen suggests, I have realized that dad and I have been wanting the same thing from our relationship all these years, but that we never talked enough to figure that out."
"It was very moving when my dad said the nicest gift I ever gave him was deciding finally that I want to get to know him. At the end of our time together, he gave a big sigh and said, ‘I was really nervous about answering some of your questions. I mean, we have never really talked alone like this before now.’"
"My father is a tall, successful man with a commanding presence that intimidates most people – even me. But now that I have begun to change the way I treat him, he’s opening up and I’m not intimidated by him anymore."
Dads say…….
"Your book helped me understand why I feel so mad when I see the way TV commercials and advertisements show dads as people who don’t know what’s going on in the family. It’s a relief to see that a woman – and a feminist at that – really understand what men are going through as second class parents."
"Your chapter on communication was like you were standing in my house watching the way my wife and daughter treat me. I’m using the suggestions, and at least my daughter is listening more calmly now. "
"In this world of male bashing, it’s so refreshing to read a book by someone who recognizes the problem and spreads the word about it. "
"I’m one of the dads trying to build and maintain a good relationship with my daughter. After I read this book, I bought a copy for my 27 year old daughter and for two of the guys I work with. It’s already changed the way I give advice to my daughter – and the results are remarkable."
