Generally speaking, the usual dad's "rules for dating my daughter" can be invasive, creepy, and altogether cringe-worthy. From all-around intimidation to death threats, and advice like "I know every policeman in town," the stereotypical rules are possessive and seem to assume that a daughter can't demand respect for herself.
However, dad and poet J. Warren Welch had his own (refreshing) spin on the traditional rules.
On Sunday, Warren posted his "rules" on Facebook, which were: "You'll have to ask them what their rules are."
"I'm not raising my little girls to be the kind of women who need their daddy to act like a creepy possessive badass in order for them to be treated with respect," he wrote. "You will respect them, and if you don't, I promise they won't need my help putting you back in your place. Good luck pumpkin."
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Since Welch posted his message, it has received more than 17,000 shares at the time of writing, likely due to how refreshing his "rules" are.
Welch explained to Scary Mommy that while growing up in an extremely religious household, he watched his mother "try to play the role of the 'submissive wife' for years."
"It just never sat well with me, even when I was far too young to completely understand why," he said, adding that after having six daughters, he's "hyper sensitive to anything that even closely resembles misogyny."
Though he told Today Parents that he was a feminist long before he had daughters, it wasn’t until he began raising young women that he realized why.
"These girls are amazing humans, and I can take no credit for that other than the fact that I at least knew that the best thing I could do for them is not try to ‘mold’ them," he said.
Refinery29 has reached out to Welch for comment, and will update this article when we receive a response.
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