Woman shares 'outstanding parenting choices' made by her 'excellent' dad as an example for new fathers

Editor's note: This article was originally published on April 11, 2022. It has since been updated.

It is widely known that parenting is one of life's greatest challenges as it entails being responsible for shaping and guiding young minds. While there is no one-size-fits-all for this enormous undertaking, a lot has been said about what mothers are supposed to do—and not do—as they are often the predominant child-rearing parent. One Twitter user, however, decided it was time to offer some helpful suggestions for dads as well, using her own father as an example of how to do parenting right.

In a series of tweets shared, @tashakaminsky wrote: "Listen up current and future dads! My father was an excellent parent to me and I want to share some of the outstanding parenting choices he made. This is the in praise of my father thread." She then proceeded to share all the things he got right when raising her, making him a role model in many ways. "My father never policed my sexuality. He did not tell me what I could and could not wear. Not once did he tell me to wash my makeup off. He did not comment on my appearance in a negative way once," she wrote.

"My father acknowledged how dangerous it was to be a woman. He even would help me identify when a man was sexualizing me at a time when I was too young to understand what was happening. (Men started sexualizing me when I was about 9.) My dad was an unapologetic feminist and ally to the LGBTQIA community. He modeled inclusion and respect for me and it made me realize I would be accepted and cherished by him no matter my gender or orientation," @tashakaminsky revealed.

The proud daughter shared that her father was extremely supportive of her academic pursuits. "My dad valued what I valued and participated in what I participated in. He coached my basketball team. He listened to the music I listened to. He watched the movies and TV I watched. Any book I wanted? He got me. He bought me Mariah Carey's rainbow because he noticed I loved her. My father trusted me. He did not make onerous rules for me to follow. He respected my privacy. When he accidentally saw something private of mine he did not punish me because it was not something I would ever have told him otherwise (and it was not dangerous)," @tashakaminsky continued.

"My dad gave me grace when I failed. He did not judge my academic performance. He was always willing to help me with homework if I asked but never insisted. He gave me expectations of being kind and focused on me being successful meaning that I was happy. My father was aware and attentive to my mental health. He could tell when I was anxious or depressed and always made space for me to seek help, or remove me from a triggering space," she shared. "My dad did not like when I was objectified. There were numerous opportunities in my youth to model or be on children's shows and he said no. One of the few times I saw him get angry was when a grown man interrupted our dinner to model scout me. I was 14."

Aside from being a supportive parent in every sense of the word, the Twitter user's father also demonstrated what a healthy relationship looks like in the way he treated his wife. "My dad never spoke an ill word of my mother to me. He very clearly loved and admired my mother. He did not hide his adoration of my mother regardless of who was around. It was always obvious to me that my father valued and trusted my mother," @tashakaminsky tweeted. "My father cried in front of me. He was not ashamed to emote around me and he showed me many emotions and modeled appropriate ways of conveying anger. My father set time aside for me every single day. He made sure to give me undivided attention every day of my life. He took me out, just me, regularly. He made sure I knew he liked spending time with me."