WATCH: Single dad Andre Dickens is watchful when his daughter goes out

ATLANTA, Ga. (CBS46) - Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is a single dad, and Monica Pearson asked him if he’s ever worried when his daughter goes out on a date.

“When you asked me, am I liberal or strict in certain places, I’m fairly strict about the dating part. I was a young man. I grew up in Atlanta, and I wanted to date beautiful daughters like Bailey. So it’s literally hitting me now. You know, she’s dating tall guys, the curly hair to play basketball or sports, and I’m watching them like, you’re dating like a guy that reminds you of me, it seems.

“In February, on Valentine’s Day, he’s knocking on my door asking her for a date, and he comes in with this deep voice, he’s like 6′4″, and I’m like, who’s this shadow in my doorway? And we had a good conversation about what it means to date my daughter.

“But I’ll tell you how I grew on prom night. Her school and his school both had prom the same night, so she had to go to two proms that night and an afterparty. So we had to negotiate on the time to come back home because this afterparty - it was supervised by parents - was supposed to end at one or two a.m.

RELATED: Mayor Andre Dickens talks Father’s Day with Monica Pearson

“And I was like, ‘Wait a minute. You can’t stay out that late.’ And the time I gave, I guess it was way early. But she was like, ‘No, I want to go to this and this.’ And then ultimately she said, ‘Dad, when I hang out with my female friends, you allow us to come in at this time. So now that I’m with him, why would you not allow me to go stay at that time? Do you not trust me?’

“I had to come to understand that she really didn’t know that I’m, equal opportunity, that I’m fair in all cases.”

Dickens turned 48 on June 16, marking the first birthday and Father’s Day he’s celebrated since being elected Atlanta’s 61st mayor last year.

Monica Pearson’s Fathers Day profiles

• Shelley “Butch” Anthony, This Is It! Southern Kitchen & B-B-Q
• Atlanta United’s Carlos Bocanegra
• Robert Stafford, father of Lil Nas X

Monica Pearson: One on One is a new, interview-themed series featuring the legendary Atlanta journalist.

Copyright 2022 WGCL. All rights reserved.