Fishing, football – there’s no shortage of traditional ways for fathers and sons to reach across to each other’s world.

Fathers and daughters, however, are a different matter. Fishing and football are far from being male enclaves, of course, but many fathers could probably use a few suggestions on relating to daughters.

Raising Girls – for Dads is among the courses run by Relationships Australia (WA) that is growing in popularity, says Keith Read, a project officer at the Mandurah branch.

“One thing we’re finding is that a lot of Dads are a bit scared of some of the material shown in the media,” he says. “Thinking about what’s important for their daughters, they see these images of skimpy clothes and flirting at primary-school age . . . and are concerned about this growing sexualisation of young females.”

Among the other topics of the courses, which are part of Relationships Australia’s Men and Family Relationships program, is setting boundaries for teenagers.

The next courses (in Mandurah) are in November.

Keith recently attended a parenting seminar in Perth entitled “Too Sexy Too Soon”, organised by the State Government Department for Communities.

“Hearing the speakers and the questions from parents underlined the importance of the issue.”