Dads and their little girls

They say it’s a man world, but where would we be without our little girls? That was the question running rampant in my brain after attending a luncheon for fathers and daughters (K-3) at my granddaughter's all-girls school.

The day was cloudy and gray, but as our little girls were ushered into the gymnasium, the sunshine magically appeared, at least in the eyes of all the men present, myself included. Smiles, cheers, applause, and pride joyfully came from every father, grandfather, uncle, big brother, mentor, and minister in the house. It was a Kodak moment.

As each girl ushered her beloved male figure to his seat, I couldn't help but think of all the girls who couldn't bring their fathers to the event for reasons ranging from work schedule conflicts to the bitter state of many black families. Countless studies have uncovered a litany of issues girls encounter early on and later in life as a result of being fatherless. Hypersexual behavior, poor school performance, and aggression are only a few.

Hip hop coined the terrible phrases "my baby's mama" and "my baby's daddy." Our daughters (and sons) are suffering the negative effects of a culture that values the hook up over marriage. The young black men out there who are trying to do the right thing have been overshadowed by their hip hop peers -- the ones with the baby-daddy image who show severe symptoms of Prolonged Adolescent Syndrome (see Hip Hop Hypocrisy, p. 27).

Nonetheless, parents today love their children.

At the luncheon, we men broke away from all the negative stereotypes that follow black men into fatherhood. Not only did we support our own girls that day, we 'adopted' those girls who had no father present. My granddaughter escorted 2 classmates to our table and introduced me as Papa. She told her friends that I was a great Papa and that I could be their Papa for the day.

Soon their frowns turned into smiles, and we all enjoyed our lunch of grill cheese, French fries, and apple sauce together. A meal fit for kings and their little princesses.