She gives you a sultry look and says, “Hey, Daddy, want to get out of here?”
It’s intriguing, but you’re confused.
What does it mean? Did you miss something?
Of course, you know it has some sexual or intimate connotation, but what?
Should you be concerned, or should you embrace it?
According to sex therapist Vanessa Marin, “‘Daddy’ can mean ‘father,’ but we also use the term to indicate when someone is the boss, in charge, a protector, or doing a good job. That’s usually the meaning women are going for in the bedroom.”
But there’s more to it than bog standard bedroom talk, which we delve into below. Read on to discover why your girl has started calling you “Daddy” and how you can respond.
What Does It Mean When She Calls You “Daddy”?
1. You have a dominant personality, particularly in the bedroom
If you take control in the bedroom and things are going well, she may use the term “Daddy” in the heat of the moment.
Don’t freak out; this doesn’t necessarily mean she has some underlying daddy issues that will plague the remainder of your relationship.
Using the term “Daddy” passionately could indicate that she’s having a great time and doesn’t want it to stop!
She is probably just signaling that she likes that you’ve taken charge, you’re doing good, and she wants you to keep doing it.
If a woman calls you “Daddy” in the bedroom, it often means she finds you powerful, strong, and confident – and she likes it.
2. She feels secure and at ease in your company
If your girl feels safe and protected by you, she may call you “Daddy” in the bedroom (and outside of the bedroom) to help you understand how she’s feeling in the moment – and how you make her feel.
Perhaps the level of safety and the feeling of power you exude reminds her of how a girl feels protected by her father. But it doesn’t mean that she actually sees you as her father or like her father – so there’s no immediate need to panic without further evidence.
If she’s comfortable around you because you make her feel safe and secure, calling you “Daddy” may feel natural to her.
3. It may stimulate her sexual interest
Sometimes bedroom talk doesn’t make all that much sense but it works in terms of sexual stimulation.
Think of the last time someone said something to you that you found incredibly sexy. Do you think it would appeal to everyone, or was there a personal trigger you just can’t explain? That’s the nature of dirty talk / bedroom talk.
Think about people who like to talk dirty. You’d probably never talk that way with each other in public or at a family dinner, but a little dirty talk can set the mood and get those sexy-time feelings racing through your veins when in the bedroom.
It’s similar when it comes to using the term “Daddy” in the bedroom. Perhaps using the word turns on her and gets her in the mood. In which case, you should embrace it and probably encourage it – if you enjoy it, of course.
4. She is trying to be submissive
Think of your girl in everyday life. Does she hold powerful positions at work? Is she always burdened with responsibility and having to make important decisions?
Bold, powerful, independent women in everyday life may want to play a submissive role in the bedroom from time to time.
By calling you “Daddy,” she may be indicating that she wants to step away from being the dominant woman she usually is and hand the reins over to you.
If your girlfriend is a high achiever or someone who excels in the boardroom but comes home and calls you “Daddy,” it’s time to take the lead and show some initiative in the bedroom.
Allow her to take the submissive role – she’ll thank you for it.
5. She wants to try role-playing in the bedroom
If your girl is adventurous, she may like a bit of role-play in the bedroom. There are many role-play ideas out there, and you may even come up with your own.
Are you missing the cues that she wants to get a little more playful and explore other role-play concepts?
“Daddy” role-play is a popular one and a go-to for many couples, so don’t feel as if it’s unusual.
Before you start scrutinizing it and analyzing the situation to try to find a deeper meaning, there may be one. Perhaps the concept of “Daddy” role-play simply turns her on, and that’s as far as it goes.
6. She sees traits in you that remind her of her father
In some instances, the word “Daddy” comes into play because she sees her father’s traits in you. While this isn’t always the case, there are times when a person may be attracted to another because they see the same qualities as they did in their parents.
Oedipus complex (for boys) or Electra complex (for girls) is when small children between 3 and 5 develop a strong connection with their parents of the opposite sex.
This can play forward into adulthood and present a scenario that plays out where someone is attracted to potential partners of the opposite sex who possess similar qualities to their parents.
In most instances, these qualities are those that they experienced in their formative years – you know, the years when a little girl still looks up to her father and calls him “Daddy.”
If she calls you “Daddy,” it could be a sign that she sees attractive qualities in you based on what she loves/ed about her father.
7. She wants you to feel like an Alpha male
Remember that your girl chose you because she sees you as her top pick. To her, you are the Alpha.
If your girl wants you to feel in charge and like you’re above all other males, she may call you “Daddy.”
When young girls form relationships with their fathers, they see them as the Alpha male. But as they get older, they shift away from seeing their father as an Alpha male (in a healthy lifestyle) and seek out their own Alpha male.
She may be indicating that she sees you as the Alpha male in her life when she calls you “Daddy.” If you’re not uncomfortable with it, you should embrace it!
8. She may be seeking your attention
Tone is everything when it comes to being called “Daddy.”
Is she just using it to get your attention for fun or to tease you? If she is, she may say something like, “Yo, Daddy!”
If she wants to get your attention sexually, she may whisper, “Hey, Daddy…” in your ear.
Women often use the term “Daddy” to get attention from a guy – you need to figure out what kind of attention that is. Consider context, tone of voice, and body language when she uses the term.
For instance, if she is saying “Yo, Daddy” while giving you a high-five, it’s probably not sexual at all. If she looks cheeky and says, “Hey, Daddy!” while laughing with her girlfriends, she is most likely just teasing you. But if she’s gently rubbing your arm and whispering, “Hey, Daddy” in your ear, there’s a high probability that she’s being sexual.
9. She may have unresolved emotions with her daddy (Psychological roots!)
Here’s the part that a lot of people get uncomfortable with. Some men don’t want their girl to call them “Daddy” if it stems from deeper psychological issues. Many men get confused or feel uncomfortable when they’re first called “Daddy” because they don’t know what it means.
Some think it could stem from past problems or unresolved issues, and the reality is that it can come from those things. Below, we look at some of the psychological roots of a woman calling a man “Daddy.”
- Childhood trauma from her father
Childhood trauma from a father can also cause some issues to crop up. If your girl had an abnormal or poor relationship with her father, it could manifest in her having daddy issues later in life.
People who have daddy issues often didn’t get the love and support they needed from their fathers to thrive. This can lead to trust issues with other men in their lives, paired with a strong sexual desire for them.
- Attachment issues
If a father was absent, unreliable, or unloving, children can develop insecure attachment styles with the future men in their lives, including boyfriends/husbands. In some cases, this can cause the relationship to be riddled with insecurity. By calling you “Daddy,” she may play into those insecurities and hope to keep you close.
- Absentee father
If a young girl experiences a father who is physically or emotionally absent (or both), she may feel she needs to cling to men who show her the kind of love, kindness, and protection she always wanted/needed from her father. She may be indicating this when she calls you “Daddy.”
How to respond when she calls you Daddy?
How you respond when your girl calls you “Daddy” will come down to how you feel about it. That said, it’s not a good idea to disrespect your partner’s desires, even if they don’t align with yours.
If you feel the same and it doesn’t make you uncomfortable, you can call her “baby girl” or “little one”, thus mirroring her sentiments and desires.
A few additional ways you can mirror her language include:
“Yes, my love?”
“Yes, my girl?”
“What’s up, my cutie?”
“What can I do for you, princess?”
“Yes, my angel?”
What if she calls me Daddy and it makes me uncomfortable?
If she calls you “Daddy” and it doesn’t make you feel good, you can apply gentle tactics to get her to change what she calls you. Suggest that she thinks of a more unique pet name so that you can have something special between you or imply that while “Daddy” might seem special, it may be a bit generic, and you’d like something more unique.
If she’s calling you “Daddy” to rile you up and push your buttons, you can probably get her to stop by fighting fire with fire.
For instance, you could say:
“Yes, mom, what’s up?”
“Hey, my son!”
“Yes, daughter! I have a chores list for you!”
Final Takeaway
Being called “Daddy” is great for some guys and not so great for others. If you decide that it’s not for you, just remember to communicate this without hurting her sentiments. After all, it’s a sensitive topic, but her intentions for using it may be good.
