We lived --or rather had lived --in a society which had come to view the father as almost superfluous. But people of common sense knew better. For a boy growing up, it was someone who could show him how a man acts and conducts himself. But for a young girl, it was that, and her first exposure to how she should be treated and viewed by the opposite sex. Because of him, when someone treated her differently, she would know in her heart that it wasn't right. With her father to lean against, she could find the courage to walk away; even after a mistake borne from growing pains. She could do so because her father loved her and had given her self-esteem. She knew he would always be there for her, his love unconditional.