As I head out for Willow’s Camp Paradise with my daughter I am wondering about the world she is entering. At 11 she is on the brink of teen years, puberty and the onslaught of crud that will invade her life more prominently through the TV, internet and print media. These days away on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in a cell-phone-free zone will allow us to focus on God and each other. I have just started reading Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters, by Meg Meeker, M.D. It contains some startling stats that verify the powerful role a dad has in the life of his little—or not so little—girl.

Girls with courageous, available, engaged dads have higher self-esteem, better verbal and reasoning skills, longer life spans, greater levels of achievement in just about everything, wait longer to engage in sexual activity, lower teen pregnancy rates, fewer developmental delays, perform better in school, and are less likely to abuse alcohol and drugs. The data does not lie. Dads matter. And I have only one shot with her. My son is 18 this summer, and in some ways the hardest parenting years are ahead because from 18-24 they make lots of life-changing decisions without being under your authority. But the little ones—like my daughter—need the active engagement and strength only I can bring. And I need to bring it now.

So we are off to camp. Willow will always be here. But not this soon-to-be young lady. Now is the time. I have more influence in her life than I can imagine—more than her mom in some areas, and Meg’s book is making that clear.