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Original poster

The overprotective Daddy culture. (No ones good enough for my little girl)

87 replies

bumpandkind · 25/10/2013 10:15

Wasn't sure where to post this but it's something that annoys me greatly and I haven't seen it discussed on here before. (Apologies if it has been).

I was just listening to the new Robbie Williams song. For those of you who don't tune into shit FM it's the good Mr Williams singing to his daughter about how the world is a big scary place full of evil men and he as her Dad will protect her from all this forever.

I may be over sensitive but this smacks of subverted mysoginy and possession of women/girls within the family. It is still very socially acceptable that a good Dad is overprotective of 'his little princess' till the day she marries her prince, (fully approved by Daddy of course).

It's something I never experienced as my Dad has always respected mine and all my sisters right to make our own decisions ( poor mans outnumbered!). However my DH was recently relived when we had a Ds not a Dd as in his own words ' I couldn't cope with looking after two girls, I'd be so worried about her'. This comment did not go unpunished! Grin

So opinions please?

OP posts:
Trills · 25/10/2013 11:08

Men who think "no man is good enough for my little girl" make me think that they must be a bit of a crap husband/partner themselves.

Otherwise they would be aware that some men are good partners.

If they just think that many men are crap, and that women are generally on the receiving end of the crapness, then that's fair enough, but the sensible response is to teach her how to recognise the crapness and how to deal with it and avoid men who are like that.

BuffytheAnyAppleFucker · 25/10/2013 10:58

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Biggedybiggedybongsoitis · 25/10/2013 10:50

Wow.

I think these stereotypes have more to do with us having less knowledge about the opposite gender than our own, hence the mother/son father/daughter dynamic.

BuffytheAnyAppleFucker · 25/10/2013 10:48

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Biggedybiggedybongsoitis · 25/10/2013 10:45

Soz, Buf, you are the only one allowed to make jokes here Grin

I have a son and a daughter. How the world wishes to portray my concerns about either is something I can do little about. This is an old trope. A bit like boys being tied to mum's apron strings, her little soldier, nobody good enough for her son etc. Does anyone remember Brenda and Malcolm from the sitcom 'Watching' in the 90's? She was a common as muck scouse girl, he was a nice boy from the Wirral.

These things hang around in popular culture, but if you look at the number of girls/women going away to university, jetting off on hen do's and holidays on the lash, you can see that it really doesn't hold sway in UK society any more.

TravelinColour · 25/10/2013 10:39

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BuffytheAnyAppleFucker · 25/10/2013 10:35

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Original poster
bumpandkind · 25/10/2013 10:34

I understand both parents simply want the best for their children but men are portrayed as not giving a flying fuck about their sons experiences with women/men who might not be suitable in their opinion as its all about the human experience. Whereas their daughters have to be guided through the relationship jungle as if they are incapable of making the right decisions and will be manipulated so easily by that cunning opposite sex. ( of course sometimes the case but we all live and learn).

Not sure if I dare type that into a search engine worldgonecrazy but it sounds a refreshing view.

OP posts:
Biggedybiggedybongsoitis · 25/10/2013 10:27

I wouldn't look to a Robbie Williams song for any worthwhile philosophical guidance, nor any parenting advice. I mean, do you believe in angels? Good for weddings and bar mitzvahs though.

Suelford · 25/10/2013 10:25

Definitely noticed this, although I haven't heard that song. It seems to be especially big in America - I've heard lots of stories of boyfriends going to pick up the girl for their first date, and their dad is coincidentally cleaning his gun at the same time, or writes their name on a bullet, or other various weird, threatening, possessive behaviour.

worldgonecrazy · 25/10/2013 10:23

I read a blog post a few weeks back which was "I hope my daughter has lots of great sex". It was all about a Dad saying that he hoped his daughter met decent men who treated her well, rather than shielding her away as if she was an object to be protected, with no mind or will of her own. It was about letting his daughter make her own mistakes, whilst hoping she didn't make any. I can't find it again and everytime I try and google, you can imagine the kind of links that are popping up.

BurberryFucker · 25/10/2013 10:18

I imagine that as a dad the awareness of what could happen to your daughter could be overwhelming ...... not sure about the 'subverted misogyny' tbh.

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