Phyllis McGinley, poet and author, b. 1905. She won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize for her poetry.

The thing to remember about fathers is, they’re men.
A girl has to keep it in mind:
They are dragon-seekers, bent on improbable rescues.
Scratch any father, you find
Someone chock-full of qualms and romantic terrors,
Believing change is a threat-
Like your first shoes with heels on, like your first bicycle
It took such months to get.

The other thing to remember, of course, is that fathers are often right. Change is often a threat. Daughters are sometimes not ready for high heels or for their first bicycle. Sometimes fathers see the sign: “Here be dragons.” And sometimes daughters are blind.