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Diving into Unknown Territory: The Importance of the Father-Daughter Relationship INTRODUCTION Many fathers and daughters know very little about one another side from the stereotypic roles they play in the family. Not surprisingly then most movies and television programs also push the father-daughter relationship off to the side or ignore it altogether. If the father is included in any discussion, he is often portrayed as indifferent, self-centered, distant, insensitive, uncommunicative, and stressed - especially when it comes to interacting with the daughter. More shocking is the data collected by V. Phares (1997) that reveals fathers generally are not as welcomed or as supported as mothers when it comes to establishing close relationships with their children - especially with the daughter and especially after she becomes a teenager. Yet although society tends to idealize and honor mothers more than fathers, this does not imply that the father has little impact on childrearing, in fact the opposite is true. Recent studies have shown that fathers are just as good as mothers at taking care of, nurturing, and bonding with children- even in early infancy. More importantly, the research also indicates father