Daddy Dates: or Chick-fil-A, Stuffed Puppies, & Pretty Flowers

As a father to a daughter I think one of the most important things a dad can do is date his daughter. There are a few reasons why this is an important practice and I want to share some of them with you.

First, I want my daughter to know how a man is supposed to treat her. If I don't show her, some other guy will. Secondly, I get to build trust. Every dad wants his children to trust him, not just when they are 5 but when their 15 as well. When I give her undivided attention she knows I care, and that builds trust. Lastly, I get to enjoy her and learn about the things she loves.

I took my 5 year old daughter, Abby on our Valentine date today. As usual we laughed a lot and she was fantastic company. I took her to her favorite restaurant, Chick-fil-A (thankfully her tastes are not too expensive yet). We sat and talked about school and her favorite colors, which I now know are "green, blue, pink and all the colors of the world". Then we went to Wal-Mart so she could pick out a stuffed puppy. For the record if you want Abby to know you care--buy the girl a stuffed puppy. Then I surprised her and bought her some flowers. I also bought her mom flowers (but that's another post).

My fellow dads, let me say this to you: you MUST take your daughters on dates! As a college pastor I cannot tell you the number of young women I meet who are trying to find love in the arms of some 20 year old sack of hormones that doesn't care anything about her. Many of the young women my wife and I work with don't have any idea what to look for in a man. Hey dad IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to make sure your little girl knows what a real man looks like. If you don't want your little girl to end up in a horrible relationship or several, you better make time to show them that they are loved and valuable. That's right-- you need to SHOW them you love them, not just tell them you love them.

You want your little girl to know that a young man should serve her, not treat her as a trophy to be conquered. One way you can do that is to take her on dates. Get dressed up and pick her up at the front door. Tell her she looks beautiful. Open the car door for her. Take her to her favorite restaurant and let her order whatever she wants. Listen to her and learn what she likes and dislikes. Laugh at her jokes. Buy her flowers or a stuffed puppy (or both). Let her know that you are praying for her and that you love her mother.

I have high expectations for the young man that is going to marry my daughter. And I'm going to date her so she will not only know those expectations but also see them modeled by her father. I'm not naive enough to think that dating Abby is going to keep her from experiencing heartbreak, but it's not going to hurt and there's nothing like hearing, "Daddy I love you!"