According to child mental health specialist Justin Farrell, the father/daughter relationship is one of the most crucial relationships in a woman’s life, and a father impacts every aspect of his daughter’s life.
This, along with a few other factors, spurred Farrell, a Vancouver resident, to contact best-selling author Rick Johnson, who has written several books about parenting, families, fathers and more. Farrell had heard Johnson speak at an area fatherhood conference, and after contacting him, Farrell said Johnson “took me under his wing” as the two men both have a passion for working with dads.
Johnson speaks around the country and has been recognized by the White House for his work on fatherhood.
“I have worked with many teen girls who have been severely wounded by having absent fathers or uninvolved fathers,” Farrell said. “In sharing my heart with him (Johnson), he approached me about working together to put on a father/daughter conference. He took his daughter to one when she was a teenager and it significantly improved their relationship. He has also spoken at several similar conferences around the country, but had never put one on. Thus, the ‘She’s My Girl He’s My Dad: Building a Relationship to Last’ conference was born.”
On Sat., Sept. 27, 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., at Clark College, Farrell and Johnson will present the second annual “She’s My Girl He’s My Dad: Building a Relationship to Last” conference. This event is for all daughters ages 12 and older who yearn for a close relationship with their dads and for all dads who want to mend a broken one, or just be the dad she deserves.
Farrell said he and Johnson will be discussing several topics with conference attendees in a format that has dads and daughters meet together at times and meet separately at other times. He said topics are focused on helping dads and daughters understand each other and communicate effectively by embracing differences while finding common ground.
“Also, we hope to help dads understand how vital they are to their daughters’ lives,” Farrell said. “Our hope for this conference is that whether your relationship with your dad/daughter is good, bad, strained, estranged or anywhere in between, you will leave the conference with a deeper connection to one another.”
Topics that will be addressed during the conference include what a girl needs from her father; he said she said, a joint session focused on communication and improving communication; importance of positive father involvement; and understanding girls.
The title of the conference, “She’s My Girl He’s My Dad: Building a Relationship to Last,” is based off of one of Johnson’s books titled “That’s My Girl: How a Father’s Love Protects and Empowers His Daughter.”
Farrell will speak three different times during the conference, the first being a morning session entitled “A Father’s Heart.” This session is designed to help the girls understand how their dad sees them and how having a positive relationship with their father positively impacts many areas of their lives, especially self-esteem.
In the afternoon, Farrell will lead the “He Said She Said” session that discusses communication styles and how men and women’s brains are wired differently, which can at times lead to conflict.
“This session tends to be especially touching as it involves the dads and daughters spending time just talking to each other and going through a list of basic questions that are designed to bring them in closer relationship to each other such as, ‘who are my closest friends? What are my dreams?’ Etc.,” Farrell said.
Lastly, Farrell will address the dads in a session called “What a Girl Needs from Her Father.” This session shares with dads the messages that girls are being given from pop culture about how they should look, what they should do, etc. The conference event will end with Johnson leading the father blessing. Although this has a religious connotation, Farrell said it involves the dads speaking truth right to the heart of their daughters in a very intentional way. Johnson and his daughter, Kelsey, model this for conference attendees and then encourage the dads to do the same thing and tell them things like they look just like a young woman should, they are intelligent, etc.
“This is very moving and at this point many tears are shed,” Farrell said. “It was so cool last year to watch the dads and daughters come in with uncertainty and at times distance between them and by the afternoon, they were sitting next to each other embracing.”
The conference is for daughters ages 12 and older. Farrell said they will have a speaker come in to speak to the dads and daughters who was rescued from sex trafficking industry to share her story. For dads with multiple daughters, Farrell said they encourage them to bring their oldest daughter and then other daughters in following years.
Nate Bosford, an indie/rock artists, will provide musical entertainment at the conference.
To register for the conference, go to http://conta.cc/1ir0x3Y. To learn more about Johnson and his work, visit www.betterdads.net. Follow Farrell through his blog on faith, family and fatherhood at www.courageousvancouverdad.com.
AT A GLANCE
WHAT: She’s My Girl He’s My Dad: Building a Relationship to Last father/daughter conference
WHEN: Sat., Sept. 27, 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
WHERE: Clark College, 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver
DETAILS: An event for all daughters ages 12 and older who yearn for a close relationship with their dads, for all dads who want to mend a broken one or be the dad she deserves
REGISTER: Go to http://conta.cc/1ir0x3Y to register
