I recall when I was 16 years old, I had a boyfriend, and my dad mistakenly found out about the boy. Then the faithful day came when he got so angry with me. At that time, he had already gotten his evidence that I was dating my previous boyfriend. The first thing he asked was if I was sick in the head. Instead of focusing on my books, I had the nerves to keep a boyfriend, and you know African parents don't take your silly character, not even the slightest of it. He then warned me never to go close to David, my now-ex. Then I was too naive to understand that what he was doing was a way of protecting me, but I obliged anyway. But I later got to understand him.
How did I get to understand, you might ask?
It was on a Sunday, and I was in the church when the pastor preached against taking blood oaths. In his words, he said, "Nobody should ever cajole you into taking blood oaths." He further said that the only blood that should be shed has already been shed on the cross of Calvary by Jesus Christ. Guess what? I was on the verge of carrying out that act before my dad got to know about David and his warnings, which made me dissociate myself from him. I'm glad because I would've gone through with that act had my dad not intervened. It was then that I realized that I'd made the greatest mistake of my life.
My point is that my dad acted as the protector and guardian that he is to me, and I would've disappointed him 😥.
A topical African father hates the mention of a boyfriend, so if your dad allows you to keep a boyfriend at such a young age, please check if he's really your real father.
Father's would always prefer you bring a husband over a boyfriend; you don't see a girl introducing her boyfriend to her dad from where I come from; the only acceptable introduction is marriage.
The truth is that every responsible father feels they're investing so much in their girls and wouldn't want that to go to waste. No dad is happy to see his girl child having a child out of wedlock. Neither do they want to see their children living a wayward life.
There are certain reasons why fathers are not comfortable with their daughters' boyfriends. They include:
Firstly, responsible fathers see their daughters as the "apple of their eye," and as such, they tend to be overly protective of them. It's said that fathers tend to love, care for, and protect their daughters more than their boys. This is because girls are fragile and too emotional, and dads always want to protect them from any kind of harm.
Secondly, every father was once a boy, and they believe most boys are narrow-minded because of their age and the hormones they go through. They believe that young men only desire to have sex partners to overcome their sexual urge at that early stage. "Young men are most often stereotypically viewed as such, and fathers do not wish for their girls to end up copulating with someone who is frivolous and irresponsible." They prefer that their precious daughters get to be with the right, mature, and responsible man who is also considering marriage.
Thirdly, every responsible father wants nothing but the absolute best for their angels, and as such, they don't consider their boyfriends deserving of these precious ones. Remember, fathers are their daughters' first love and are willing to do anything just to ensure they are happy. They treat their girls as their princesses," and any man who wants to marry must continue from where he stopped.
Fourthly, fathers often still see their girls as "little angels." They never want them to grow up. They want them to always be those "adorable, cute, and innocent" angels, and they wouldn't want the "boyfriend" to take advantage of their innocence.
Finally, fathers put in the best possible efforts to ensure that their daughters are educated. Therefore, they fear that "boyfriends" will distract their girls from their studies, and they don't want that. They would do anything to ensure that their girls end up the best in all they do.