Your daughter wants a hero-and she has chosen you, Dad, to be hers. She needs a hero to help her navigate a treacherous popular culture. But being her hero is not for the weak at heart. It requires emotional fortitude, mental self-control, and physical restraint. It means walking into embarrassing, uncomfortable, or even life-threatening situations in order to rescue your daughter. Here’s where you start:

• Make a Plan. Your aspirations for your daughter will be clearest when she is young. When she’s an infant, you know with crystal clarity what you will expect from her: everything from what she will be allowed to say and do to whom she can date. Write it down now, and keep it clear in your mind and in hers. Teens love to tangle with your thinking. So have your rules inscribed like the Ten Commandments-and stick to them.
• Have courage under fire. Yes, you will be fired upon-by friends, pop psychologists, television programs, your wife and your daughter. Keep your cool, but be firm and consistent. In the best men, kindness, strength, and perseverance go together.
• Be the leader. Remember that you have far more life experience than your daughter. She can’t make decisions…