4 Reasons a Daddy Should “Date” His Daughter |

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Daddy-daughter dates are a blessing in my life. A few years ago, on the eve of Mary Carol starting Kindergarten, I took her on our first date. She still remembers it, to the point that she can tell you which restaurant we went to, where we sat, and what we ate.

Admittedly, I have not been as consistent with these dates as I should have been over the last few years, but each date with my precious girl is a reminder of how special she is. We never do anything all that fancy, but we always enjoy our time together.

Lord willing, tomorrow night we will go on our next date, so it has me thinking about why I do this. Maybe this short list will help another daddy decide to date his daughter. Here are four reasons why I think you should.

Listen to Her Heart. The ultimate key to these dates is that I get uninterrupted time to ask questions and find out what my daughter is really facing and thinking. Of course, we talk about a lot of fun things (she is, after all, just 10-years-old), but I try to ask questions to let me know the troubles and joys that are on her heart. I would not trade our conversations for anything.
Teach Her Manners. Thankfully, my daughter is a sweet and fairly well-mannered girl. However, I desire that she truly be a lady, in the strongest sense of the word. So I try to teach her manners on our dates. She is reminded to say “sir” or “ma’am” to those at restaurants, for example. Whenever she starts dating for real (when she’s, what, about 30? Ha!) I want her to know that those same expectations will be there. On our dates, and on her dates to come, she is expected to dress modestly, and behave like a God-honoring lady.
Show Her What a Gentleman Is. We dress up for our dates. I typically put on a sports coat. I open doors for her. I pay for everything. I walk on the curb side if we are by a road. Why? Because that’s what I expect any young man who dates my daughter to do. Just because he is 15 or 17 or 20 does not give him an excuse to avoid being a true gentleman. It is also the reason I do not end my dates with my daughter with even so much as a kiss on the cheek. I usually walk her to the door, tell her “thank you,” and walk away. That’s what a young gentleman will be expected to do, and I want those expectations built in early.
Allow Me to Let Go of Her…Slowly! I know that one day, some young man will truly sweep my precious treasure off her feet. One day, I will move to the second-most-important man in her life. That’s the way it should be, but I want that to happen slowly. Dating my daughter gives me the opportunity to prepare myself for that day, but to do so slowly and deliberately.

There are a myriad of other reasons why I love my dates with Mary Carol. Each time we leave on a date, I just pray they are as meaningful to her little heart as they are to mine.