Years ago people believed that the most important parent was the mother. Fathers were peripheral members of the family. Through the years there has been a revelation that fathers are indeed important and that little girls learn from their fathers what to expect from men. In most cases, girls who were loved and held in high regard by their fathers expected the same treatment from the boys they dated. If they were ignored or belittled, their self-esteem told them they were not worth any better treatment. My choices were predestined. I had no idea I had been receiving a silent message of unworthiness while I was growing up.