What a Difference a Daddy Makes: The Indelible Imprint a Dad Leaves on His Daughter's Life [Paperback]

Dr. Kevin Leman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 5, 2001

Study after study shows that fathers set up their daughters for success. Involved fathers-whether or not they live in the same house as their daughters-boost their daughters' academic achievement, promote their emotional health, increase their compassion for others, and even bolster the status of women.

In What a Difference a Daddy Makes, renowned psychologist and bestselling author Dr. Kevin Leman seamlessly weaves the latest research on fathering with funny, moving stories about his own parenting experiences. He gives practical ideas and inspiration for fathers and provides specific direction for helping daughters grow into loving, confident, caring adults.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Internationally known psychologist, award-winning author, radio and television personality, and speaker, Dr. Kevin Leman has taught and entertained audiences worldwide with his wit and common sense psychology. He has appeared on Focus On The Family with Dr. James Dobson as well as numerous radio and television programs. Some of Dr. Leman's books include The Birth Order Book, Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours, Sex Begins In the Kitchen, and What A Difference A Daddy Makes. Dr. Leman and his wife, Sande, live in Tucson and are the parents of five children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson; Reprint edition (June 5, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785266046
• ISBN-13: 978-0785266044
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #45,430 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #85 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Family Relationships > Fatherhood

More About the Author

Dr. Kevin Leman, an internationally known psychologist, radio and television personality, and speaker, has taught and entertained audiences worldwide with his wit and commonsense psychology. The best-selling and award-winning author has made house calls for hundreds of radio and television programs, including "The View" with Barbara Walters, "The Today Show," "Oprah," CBS's "The Early Show," "Live with Regis Philbin," CNN's "American Morning," and "LIFE Today" with James Robison, and he has served as a contributing family psychologist to "Good Morning America." He is the founder and president of Couples of Promise, an organization designed and committed to helping couples remain happily married. Dr. Leman is also a charter faculty member of iQuestions.com. He has written over 30 best-selling books about marriage and family issues, including "The Birth Order Book" and "Sheet Music: Uncovering the Secrets of Sexual Intimacy in Marriage." Dr. Leman and his wife, Sande, live in Tucson. They have five children.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#68 in Books > Religion & Spirituality

#96 in Books > Self-Help

#68 in Books > Religion & Spirituality

#96 in Books > Self-Help

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

169 of 172 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fatherhood 101 - How to Master Raising a Daughter September 14, 2002

By Donald S. Meador

Format:Paperback

I heard Dr. Kevin Leman discuss What a Difference a Daddy Makes on Focus on the Family. At the end of the hour, I knew I had to buy and read this book. I cannot say enough good things about it. If I could give it six stars, I would.

There were several chapters in the book that made me think, "This chapter alone is worth the price of the book." I think my favorite was chapter five - A Good Dad. Dr. Leman offers the encouragement that a dad doesn't need to be a great dad, just a good dad who is present and consistent. Super daddy once in a great while isn't the key. Rather, good dad in generous and frequent doses is the key to raising a well-adjusted daughter.

Dr. Leman offers this profile of a "Good Father:"
1. A Father who is there
2. A Father who understands
3. A Father who honors his wife
4. A Father who believes in his daughter
5. A Father who lets his daughter hurt

I could hardly believe number five, until I read what Dr. Leman had to say to explain himself.

Dr. Leman's book endeared itself to me. His writing style is pleasant and straightforward. He shares many stories from his own family to illustrate his points. One of the greatest aspects of the book is that he shares some of his own personal failures as a daddy, not just his victories. He does not come off as one who is perfect telling others that they should be perfect too.

What a Difference a Daddy Makes covers a great deal of territory. The final four chapters are devoted to addressing difficulties that fathers will face. It was valuable reading, especially when he addressed stages of development that a father will need to know about to interact with both his daughter and his wife.

I would be amiss not to mention that this is a book about parenting for both fathers and mothers, daughters and sons. The focus is primarily on the father-daughter relationship, but periodic sections deal with the mother-son relationship as well. This book will be profitable reading for all parents.

I certainly enjoyed this book. It taught me several things I did not yet know. It affirmed in me many things I was already thinking about in rearing my daughter. This book will lift your spirits and encourage you as a parent. Enjoy!

77 of 80 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read for all parents of daughters July 31, 2002

By Michael Erisman

Format:Paperback

My mother-in-law Bonny gave me this book. I have the privilege of being a husband to her daughter, and the father to her granddaughter. I am glad she did, as this is an excellent book about the challenges and joys of raising a daughter.

Dr. Leman writes this book in a conversational style, and he gives firm council without sounding preachy. He lays out real anecdotes, and recounts the ups and downs, highs and lows, of raising his daughters. Throughout the book is one common theme - be involved! He warns of the consequences that will likely result from a lack of involvement. If I thought that the challenges of being a parent were scary, the consequences of not being an actively involved one are even more so. He gives the analogy of "wet cement" to depict that we have but a brief time to help mold their lives, and then it is too late. There are a great many substitutes for what we are intended to provide, with most of them carrying a huge cost.

I enjoyed the disbursement of information he shares about various wins and mistakes he himself made with his daughters, and wish to thank his whole family for their willingness to have their personal lives shared to benefit others. When he got to the last chapter on his first experience with marrying off a daughter, I had tears in my eyes and a knot in my stomach, and my daughter is only 1!

Also of great importance is the fact the he stresses the value of having an openly affectionate and positive relationship with our wives as being equally important in raising daughters. Our children will model what we do, not what we say, and depicting a healthy relationship with my wife, showing various ways of handling conflicts, treating her with kindness and respect, and being openly affectionate will model for my daughter the kind of man we want her to marry.

Overall, an excellent book for all parents of daughters, with advice and council that is critical for parents who wish to raise their daughters to be emotionally healthy and to make good choices about their lives and relationships. The book is challenging and firm where it should be. As a father, I found several quotes and tips illuminating enough to be stored away to be used when needed. I recommend this book highly. It is not a textbook style "self-help" manual, but rather reads like a story. All fathers, or potential fathers, should read this book and realize what a tremendous responsibility we have for these little lives, and just how much we are needed to help mold them in a positive way.

65 of 69 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars English 101 review November 26, 2003

By Steven

Format:Paperback

What a Difference a Daddy Makes is written by Dr. Kevin Leman. Dr. Leman is internationally known psychologist, and has written over twenty books on the family. Dr. Leman received his bachelor's, master's and doctorate from the University of Arizona. He is the founder of Couples of Promise. Dr. Leman has been on numerous national talk shows including Good Morning America , and Oprah. His most impressive qualification to me though is that he is the father to four daughters who adore him. The subject of the book is just what the title suggests it gives examples and stories of just how a daddy makes a very strong impression on her life and determines how a girl will see men in the world. The book is divided into three sections with each section being at least four chapters long.
The purpose of this book is to show parents how important the relationship between a father and his daughter is. This book though is not intended just for fathers as you might think but is for all parents. Mother's need to see just how important this relationship is so they don't feel threatened or jealous.
It is my opinion that this book does a very good job of teaching parents especially first time parents of the importance of the father daughter relationship. It also sheds new light to opinions society has placed on us to believe mothers should be the prevelant parent.
The content throughout the book is exceptional. The content which is drawn primarily from Dr. Leman's personal experiences with his own daughters is the best, but also enjoyable are the stories from other people. Each section of the book is primarily for a certain age group. Section one is for birth to school age. Section two carries the torch with the age group from kindergarten to about junior high. Section three covers junior high through marriage.
Dr. Leman who is also known as a humorist uses a very simple and humorous approach as the style for the book. I am so glad this wasn't a book with a lot of complicated terms. In fact any parent could enjoy this book and understand it's beliefs and principles. The fact that Dr. Leman gives true life experiences to convey his points make them much more believable. For example in the beginning of the book Dr. Leman uses a story about a little girl in 1935 named Shirli Hunt from Bellingham Washington. When Shirli was a little girl she had been taught by her father to always stand in respect for the country when ever anything patriotic was going on. Once in school during music class the teacher decided to sing America the Beautiful and even though her father wasn't there and would never know Shirli stood. When a classmate said she didn't have to stand she replied " oh yes I did you don't know my father." Sixty years later when Shirli told this story to Dr. Leman He realized the lasting impresssion the man who had raised Shirli had made on her. Another good example of the impression a dad makes on his daughter is from a letter a daughter wrote to her dad which explained that because he took time for her as a child that now as a young lady she was very well prepared to handle life and she was proud to have him for a dad. This evidence is very convincing to me because Shirli Hunt remembered her father s vividly after so many years. Another statement in the book I found interesting is that a daughters enire way she acts with all men will be determined by her relationship with her father. Dr. Leman says " show me a woman who picks Dennis Rodman over Michael Jordan and I'll show you an accurate picture of her father." I believe this is a very true statement and very profound.
Dr. Leman also addressed head on about mothers who feel threatened about a strong father daughter relationship and I thought that was most helpful as well. Dr. Leman also describes how this can be a very destructive atmosphere for the child.
The book has many strengths giving insight to parents. It also proves it theories with real life examples and is entertaining through out with a good dose of humor. The only weakness I believe the book has is it doesn't give much hope for divorced fathers, in fact one part of the book says you can't make your daughter into a Miss Trust as oposed to a mistrust two weekends a month. Dr. Leman may not be aware but in today's court system often that is all the father is awarded, but I do agree it is impossible to build a strong relationship that way.
This book is very useful to parents, but also it is useful to people who are contemplating parenthood or who may be already expecting.
I really like this book because as a father I learned just how important the relationship with my daughter is. The book also helped me to feel more proud of my role as a parent and made me feel not only more needed in my daughter's life but more useful and more important.