Please give this single dad some advice about how candid he should be with his daughters 

I’m not sure how many of you saw this comment yesterday from one of the new single dads on the “blogging block:”

Just A Man’s Journey lost his wife one year after their divorce, and he’s raising two daughters (ages 9 and 4) and one son (age 7) on his own. He describes himself as “a full-time dad” whose “primary focus is the well-being and emotional health of my kids.” He regularly reads single mom blogs, where he gains “a lot of insight.”

“I was raised where sex is a private discussion and kept behind the closed doors of a relationship,” Just A Man’s Journey writes. “Today we see a culture that is more open with it.”

This is why he landed at Single Mom Seeking to ask a “question that I’d like to raise to this wonderful community of modern day mothers.”

“I am okay with the birds and the bees conversation as well as the puberty conversations,” he writes. But his concern is that “things are moving a whole lot faster pace than they use to.”

For example, he has followed the posts about sex toys here — “and I have my concerns about addressing certain things with them.”

I wrote him an email to say: “It’s clear that you want to do the right thing. Any mention of sex toys is not appropriate. This is for adults-only and is too much information.”

But I add: At this point, what’s important is that his daughters feel safe and comfortable asking him questions. Having another woman to lean on — his sister — is a great idea! It’s important for girls to know their bodies are THEIRS. Answer any questions they might have, and ask them questions in return (”Why do you think so-and-so?)

I think what Just A Man’s Journey is really concerned about is this: his daughters will soon have their share of questions about their bodies, boys, relationships…. He wonders if he should answer these questions, or ask another woman to do so?

He ends: “Maybe I am just thinking too far in advance or maybe I just need to cover more things that were hidden from me by both parents and society. Any advice?” Time for you to jump in!

Single moms, let’s hear your advice.

Single dads of daughters, time to speak up!