6 Women Share The Sweetest Stories About How Their Dads & Partners Bonded
When my prom date showed up to my house like we'd planned to do before the dance, he had his tie and pocket square in hand. I was too busy getting ready to ask why he wasn't wearing either of these items, but my dad did. He confessed to my dad that he didn't know how to tie a tie and that he had even less insight as to what to do with the pocket square. Little did I know, my dad spent the next 45 minutes helping him with both. I imagine dads have bonded with their daughters' partners more than they've tried to scare them away, which is often just the funnier story to tell.
TBH, I've seen my fair share of movies that tell that story, like Meet The Parents starring Ben Stiller, Guess Who starring Ashton Kutcher, and even Disney Channel's My Date With The President's Daughter starring Will Friedle. The truth is, though, none of these movies resembles my actual dating experiences. My dad has always been excessively friendly and sometimes fatherly to my boyfriends, even going so far as to give them life advice and helping them with their job searches after graduation. Sure, dads have their own ways of bonding with their daughters' partners but that doesn't mean it's any less sentimental.
He looked out for his daughter's boyfriend even when she wasn't around.
Last summer, my boyfriend took an internship near my dad's office downtown. He didn't have a car so he took the bus to and from work. It worked out fine except whenever the rain caused delays. My dad kept his office open late on those days so my boyfriend could hang out until things cleared up.
— Anna*, 23
He supported him like he did his own kids.
He told him 'Your dad is wrong. You’re a good person and you’ll make an excellent father.'
He cooked his daughter's girlfriend's favorite food and made her a to-go box.
My GF and I are long-distance. My dad knew that she liked bao [a Chinese dish of steamed bread with a meat or vegetable filling] so he made a whole bunch the last time she visited. Then, he froze the leftovers and helped her pack it so she could take some home.
— Jessica*, 26
He made her boyfriend customized beer labels.
My boyfriend has always wanted to home brew, so for his birthday I got him everything he needs. I also might have been interested so I decided to brew him some to give him with all of the buckets and tubes.. my dad was amazing at making a label. I told him 'Star Wars' and he immediately made something that I love and know my boyfriend will love!
He invited him along on a fishing trip. I've heard this guest list is impossible to get on.
My partner and I have been dating for over five years now, but way back when we first started seeing each other, I was extremely nervous for him to meet my stepdad, who tends to make quick (and often unfair) judgments based on first impressions. The first time they were meeting was on my stepdad's fishing boat, which is literally this man's pride and joy, and my stepdad ALWAYS gets on my case for not enjoying fishing as much as he does (in fact, I hate it, and I only go on his boat to sunbathe, but I digress). Anyway, you can imagine just how delighted my stepdad was when my boyfriend got on the boat and totally killed the first-impression game, not only by fishing all afternoon with him, but also by being strangely good at fishing, to the point where we caught more fish than my self-proclaimed-fishing-master stepdad? I still don't really understand how people enjoy fishing as a hobby, but watching the two of them bond over that that day was pretty sweet.
— Allie, 24
He treated him like part of the family.
He's sort of adopted him as an additional son. My husband had a really difficult childhood with a lot of violence and so on, and my dad's taken it upon him to be a sort of positive 'father figure' in my husband's life. Nothing unwanted, my dad doesn't meddle or coddle people but he's warm and kind and demonstrably loving, which is stuff my husband never got from his father so he's quite happy to have it now.
Some people say there's nothing like a father's love. Turns out, that's true even if it isn't from your partner's biological father.
Lucky for you, dads know a thing or two about keeping their daughters happy so the more they teach your partner during their bonding sesh, the better off you'll be.
*Names have been changed. Quotes have been condensed and edited for clarity.
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