16 Songs About Daughters Growing Up (To Dedicate To Your Little Girl) (2024)

They grow up so fast.

I don’t have daughters myself, or even nieces, but I do have nephews.

And I see how fast they are growing up right before my eyes.

Plus, I’ve always had a great relationship with my dad and I know how bittersweet it was for him to see me grow up.

The father-daughter bond is a special one.

And the mother-daughter bond is arguably even tighter.

Below is a list of beautiful songs that celebrate the bond parents have with their daughters. I made sure to include plenty of songs from both male and female artists, in addition to multiple genres.

Songs About Daughters Growing Up

I wanted to include songs from many genres, but the list ended up having a lot of country music on it. This is not a genre I listen to much, but it just so happens that country singers seem to sing about their daughters a lot more than singers in other genres.

Little Girl Don’t Grow Up Too Fast by Carrie Underwood

Little Girl Don’t Grow Up Too Fast is one of Carrie Underwood’s most underrated songs. It conveys an important message – enjoy your childhood and slow down just a bit.

Underwood had said in an interview that she hoped that this song would be a reminder for people to savor life and be grateful.

While it is mainly a reminder to our younger selves to live in the moment and enjoy each one, it can also be interpreted as a song from parents to their daughters who are growing up too fast.

In that sense, it is ideal to dedicate to your daughter who wants to grow up too fast and convey to her not to make the same mistakes that you made in your teens.

Slipping Through My Fingers by ABBA

Written by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson and recorded by ABBA, Slipping Through My Fingers conveys a mother’s regret at how fast her little girl has grown up and that they hardly spent any time together.

Bjorn wrote the song when his 7-year-old daughter began school. He mentioned in an interview that every parent knows that feeling of not having spent enough time with their daughters.

That is true even though most mothers spend every waking moment with their babies after they are born. It still isn’t enough. It’s never enough.

My Little Girl by Tim McGraw

Tim McGraw’s 2006 song My Little Girl was used in the end credits of the movie Flicka, in which the country singer himself starred. The movie is about a teenage girl who wants to prove to her dad that she is capable of managing their family ranch.

In the process, she tames a wild Mustang named Flicka and realizes she is more like the wild horse than she thinks. My Little Girl is a nostalgic narrative where the dad remembers how angelic his little girl looked when she was just born, all wrapped in pink.

Mamma’s Song by Carrie Underwood

The official music video for Mamma’s Song starts with a woman narrating every mother’s experience. When her daughter is young, the mother never thinks about how things will be different a few years from now.

And then every mother invariably looks back and says “where did all that time go?”

Mamma’s Song is sung from the daughter’s perspective. She asks her mother to let go and not worry about her as she settles into her new life as a bride married to the man she loves. It is the perfect song for a bride to dedicate to her mother on her wedding day.

After 17 by Alan Jackson

After 17 is a song about a young girl leaving home. Jackson wrote the song after his eldest daughter Mattie left for college.

The song depicts the typical anxiety any young person goes through when they leave home for the first time on their own. The lyrics “you’re grown, but you’re not” denote that sentiment.

My Little Girl by Jack Johnson

Jack Johnson wrote My Little Girl when his baby daughter encouraged him to write more upbeat songs. He said in an interview that at that time, he had been losing a couple of people he was close to and that made it hard for him to write positive songs.

But his daughter’s smile and the little noises she made when he sang and played, encouraged him to do better.

My Little Girl talks about the dad asking his daughter to never look back at the years with any sadness or loneliness, ever. However, this may be a lie, in some cases. As a dad, the best thing he can do is teach her to love fearlessly.

Baby Don’t Cry by Jamey Johnson

Jamey Johnson wrote Baby Don’t Cry as a lullaby for his 6-year-old daughter Kylee. This song depicts how much he missed her when he was on tours. For Johnson, being a dad was more than daily phone calls to his little girl.

The song may not be about growing up per se, but it does depict a dad’s love for his sweet girl. It asks her to call him, if she needs him. He will fly straight to her, no matter where he is.

Butterfly Kisses by Bob Carlisle

Bob Carlisle was going through some family photos and got the inspiration for this beautiful song, when he realized his daughter Brooke would be soon leaving home.

Butterfly Kisses is not so much a song about a father reminiscing about his daughter growing up, as it is about him being grateful for his kids. It is also a song about appreciating the time you have with your children.

Carlisle later said in an interview that he hoped to capture the essence of the father-daughter relationship through this song. When he performed the song, he had women coming over to tell him stories about their dads. Carlisle says he is glad that the song had an impact on daughters and not just on the dads.

Certified Rose by Roger Daltrey

Certified Rose by Roger Daltrey is a tender ballad Daltrey wrote about his daughter Rosie Lea while watching her grow up. A rose symbolizes love, courage, beauty, joy, and new beginnings.

When the singer calls his daughter his certified rose, he means to say that his daughter is pure grace and that there can be no other like her. Seeing her grow up (unfold) gives him immense pride and joy. His daughter’s warmth helps lessen the cold ice storm and gives him strength when he is alone.

Teenage Daughters by Martina McBride

When daughters are growing up, they invariably go through a phase where they fight with their moms. Martina McBride underwent a similar struggle with her teenage daughter Delaney.

Said McBride: “It was hard for me when I suddenly stopped being my daughter’s center of the world. It was only about her for a while.”

Things got to a point where McBride had to sit down and have a talk with Delaney. That talk is what inspired this song.

McBride clarifies at the beginning of the song that she is not complaining. She is simply telling the truth about the awkward teenage phase. Many people who have teenage daughters or nieces will surely relate to this song about growing up.

Until The Stars Go Out by James Morrison

Hey, little girl who’re you gonna be?
There’s a great big world full of mystery
You can settle for less or you can fight for more
I hope you find what you’re out there looking for

Morrison wrote this song to support his daughter who was being bullied at school. He wanted to convey the message that things aren’t always going to be easy but that he would always be by his daughter’s side until the stars went out.

You’ll Always Be My Baby by Alan Jackson

Alan Jackson specifically wrote this song with his daughter Mattie’s 2017 wedding in mind and even named it the song “written for daughters’ weddings”.

Jackson says in the song that from her first steps to her first car, to her walk down the aisle, she will always be his baby. Interestingly, Alan also wrote a song for his second daughter Ali’s 2020 wedding and named it I Do. Alan later said that this song just came to him.

Letting Go by Suzy Bogguss

This beautiful song by the gorgeous Suzy Bogguss should have gotten more appreciation than it did. It talks about how every parent prepares for their daughter or son to leave home, but despite 18 years of preparation, they simply cannot let go.It really tugs at the heartstrings of every parent.

My Wish by Rascal Flatts

The singer Rascal Flatts talks to his daughter, telling her to grab life by its shoulders, do whatever she wants to do, and live life to the fullest without hesitation. He tells his daughter to experience all the joys life has to offer.

It Won’t Be Like This For Long by Darius Rucker

Darius Rucker, the lead singer of Hootie and The Blowfish, wrote this beautiful song about growing up. The singer talks about his baby girl who doesn’t let her parents get any sleep.

Fast-forward to the time when his daughter leaves for her first day at school – she is too scared to let go of her dad’s leg. Later, the singer says that his daughter is all grown up and that he won’t be able to observe her much longer.

Slow Down by Nichole Nordeman

Slow Down is the type of song that will make every listener wish they didn’t have to grow up – and that they could just lay in their mothers’ arms forever.

It starts with the singer saying she doesn’t know the gender of her soon-to-be-born baby – pink or blue. She then describes the baby’s early days – not sleeping at night, and then learning to crawl, and later, walk.

Between stanzas, she asks the baby girl to slow down and also keeps telling her that she is her biggest fan.

The song goes on to describe the teenage phase where the daughter rolls her eyes at everything the mom says. However, the mom reminds her daughter that she will also be a mother someday, with a hand to hold.

Songs To Dedicate To A Daughter Growing Up: Final Thoughts

As mentioned, there are a lot of country songs about daughters growing up. I wanted to include more songs in other genres, but I simply couldn’t find many of them. Maybe you can help?

If you know any great songs by parents dedicated to their little girls growing up that aren’t on this list, but that should be, please let me know. Leave a comment below and I’ll check the song out and add it to the list if it does, indeed, match the topic.

If you like these lists of songs, we have many others. Our list of songs about blue eyes is mostly about romantic interests, but it does have one song the artist wrote about his daughter, who had tragically passed away.

We also have a list of songs about flying away, which is somewhat apropos to a daughter flying the coop.

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