Many fathers don’t understand the impact they have on their daughters’ lives. This relationship influences how a woman feels about herself, men, and her standing in the world writ large.

Abusive fathers, those who leave and never look back, and those who never showed up in the first place are easy to blame. And the damage they do can be obvious.

But there are fathers who are more subtle in the abuse they dish out. They may treat their wives poorly, demeaning them constantly like Archie Bunker. Or those who seem to be in the picture, but who aren’t really part of the marriage relationship. Although a girl may not understand what she sees, later on she may find a man who can model the exact relationship and never understand why she is so unhappy.

Thankfully, there are also men who are all in. Men whose love for their wives may change in style, but not in consistency. Men who may indulge “Daddy’s little girl,” but learn to respect the woman their daughter becomes.

And God bless the father who accepts their daughter for exactly who she is, no matter how she may ultimately show up in the world.

Yes, our fathers have a great deal of influence over us. June is the month to celebrate them and to let them know how vital their relationship to us is.

And if you are one of the women who has had a relationship that was fraught with peril of one kind or another, June might be the perfect month to start dealing with that and become the person you were meant to be.