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I once tried to date a guy whose parents had divorced when he was very young, and he had basically grown up without a father figure. It didn't go well. He couldn't relate at all to my family dynamic, and I couldn't relate to his. I couldn't understand why he was attached to his mother in the ways he was, and he couldn't understand how my father wanted to look out for me and protect me. He also didn't understand why my father would no longer talk to him after he broke up with me the first time.
I would say it's difficult in general for men without father involvement to relate to a family dynamic with father involvement, and vice-versa.
This has to change, of course; we're seeing more and more non-traditional families without father involvement, or mother involvement in some cases. We shouldn't think less of those who have different families, but we should be aware of how those different family dynamics affect our other relationships.
I would guess what you are seeing, on some level, is the father looking out for his daughter. I'm 25, and my dad STILL does that. He's much more accepting now than he used to be, but my mother had to talk to him on more than one occasion about it. Now he buys my boyfriend's favorite beer for when we visit. So, you never know. Dads change.
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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau
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