There's something special - something significant between fathers and daughters and dads and daughters - but a dad-daughter relationship doesn't just happen.

You may ask what is the difference between a father-daughter relationship and a dad-daughter relationship. Fathers tend to be a little more distant, often forced by separation. While they maybe the child's 'father', they are not necessarily the 'dad'.

This distinction between fathers and dads can have a bearing on the young girls future. A young girl's relationship with her family, especially with her paternal parent, may influence at what age she enters puberty, according to Vanderbilt University researchers.

The 1999 study found that girls with close, supportive relationships with their parents tend to develop later, while girls with cold or distant relationships with their parents develop at an earlier age. And get this: Girls who enter puberty later generally had 'dads' who were active participants in care-giving; had 'dads' who were supportive to the girls' mothers; and had positive relationships with their mothers.

But it's the fathers' involvement, rather than the mothers', which seems to be paramount to the age of the girls' development.

The researchers believe that girls have evolved to experience early socialization, with their "antennae" tuned to the fathers' role in the family (both in terms of father-daughter and father-mother relationships) and that girls may unconsciously adjust their timing of puberty based on their fathers' behavior.

The researchers found that girls raised in father-absent homes or dysfunctional father-present homes experienced relatively early pubertal timing.

The father daughter relationship needs to be nurtured. The father needs to be a 'dad'. Where possible, even in separated families, the dads role should be encouraged and nurtured.

Unfortunately, we only get one chance to raise our kids. If we get it wrong the first time, we can't go back and try again. The sad thing about this is, when we do get it wrong, its the child that has to live the consequences for the rest of their lives.