Is your daughter the girl version of her dad?
Family game nights are supposed to be fun, right? My siblings and I would love playing board games as we munched on snacks and talked about our friends. So, when my own family started doing game nights, I thought it would be a great way to strengthen our family bond.
But the Universe had other plans.
Every Friday, I found myself playing judge and jury. One minute I was player no. 3 and a few seconds into the game, I’ was designated as the umpire for the night.
Because, as it turns out, first-born daughters are actually the girl versions of their dads. And mine didn’t happen to be an exception to what was clearly an unspoken rule.
Not only did these two look alike, but they had the same competitive personalities:
Stubborn, aggressive, and a little egoistic, but also, kind, confident, and clever.
It didn’t matter if it was scrabble, or monopoly, my pleas of “it’s just a game” drowned under their argument on what is and is not fair. Once the game was over, they’d sit together and laugh as if nothing had ever happened.
Is the first-born daughter a female version of her dad?
There is no genetic study proving this observation—yet!—but there are mums like me who sit on the sidelines and note the similarities.
After hours of kicking our guts, our firstborn daughters emerge as carbon copies of their fathers.
In my case, she landed complete with those thick lashes that no amount of extensions would let me take credit for. She looked like him and even slept in the same position as him.
The only difference: one snored and the other wailed.
To be fair, a few months later, she did take on some of my features.
So far, there’s no study that provides concrete evidence for this theory. However, many studies found that one-year-olds equally resemble their fathers and mothers.
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Why does the first daughter look like dad?
But then why do most mums feel their firstborn daughter looks like the father?
Some researchers have a theory that dates back to the pre-DNA era. Back then, evolution and survival demanded that the child resemble the father. After all, that was the only evidence to support the paternity of the child.
What does it mean to be a girl dad?
Paternity tests in the twenty-first century have simplified matters considerably.
Plus, this century is also THE perfect time to be a girl dad.
Because dads aren’t just men who bring home the bacon. Nope. They now set the standard for how women should be treated.
Stay-at-home dads and girl dads who dress up as princesses are changing the world and fighting patriarchy one sloppy pedicure at a time. They’re teaching daughters who may or may not resemble them to be brave and confident.
As I watch my daughter stand up for herself and defend her decisions in Monopoly, I can see that she is the girl version of her dad.
And my heart swells with pride because I know she’ll do great when she steps out into the real world.
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Zofishan Umair Follow +
Zofishan is a journalist, humour columnist, and a mum who has survived nappy explosions mid-air. She has over a decade of experience writing for print and online publications and is currently working on her first book.
