Put the “Date” on the Calendar (Part 1 - Daddy Dates)
I am the official organizer, planner, and keeper of the family calendar and daily flow of our home. I’m sure many of you can relate. It’s a hefty job!
I am convinced that if anything were to ever happen to me, our kids teeth would rot out because they would never get brushed, the electricity would be turned off due to lack of payment because I’m the only one in the house who knows where to checkbook is kept, and the Sunday morning crowd would revolt because the coffee pot was no longer filled and piping hot. O, the things we do as moms and church planting wives. . .
In the early years of Cool River, when church planting was only a dream and a prospectus, Kevin and I were incredibly blessed to have some great examples of how ministry families could/should “do” life. I was always the one asking the parents of exceptional teenagers, “how did you do it? How did you end up with such great kids?” And out of those conversations came much wisdom and lots of ideas. The wisdom I took to heart - the practical ideas I determined to practice from day one - and this is what we have done. . .
The two biggie calendar moments that our family has always made a priority are Date Nights and Daddy Dates. Neither have we ever been able to afford to do. And just the same, neither have we been able to afford NOT to do. They are the foundation of our connectedness - TIME - we calendar it. . .no matter what. . .NO MATTER WHAT!!!
I recently discovered an old personal blog that I thought I would share. . .
One of the things that our girls love the best is getting to go on a date with Daddy. They never know when to expect it. It’s not like something that they get to request or plan . It just happens when they least expect it (or so they think). Today it just happened.
Kevin was taking the day off. We had not made any family plans. And all of a sudden I hear him asking Emma if she wanted to go on a date. Her eyes lit up. “Yes, Daddy!” They quickly planned for lunch. And as Emma ran to her room to get dressed, Claire was the next to be invited. It was a bit more difficult with her. Though she was thrilled to get to go on her special date, she was not the least bit happy that she would be second instead of first.
After that was resolved and all was well, hair was getting brushed and braided and pretty clothes were being chosen, Olivia caught wind of the plan. Needless to say, when dates came to an end Kevin had eaten 3 lunches, been to the toy store twice and trekked through the local mall.
What a wonderful blessing it is to have a husband who not only wants to date his wife (as we do every Tuesday night) but also makes it a priority to date his daughters. I pray that those dates will be memories that will forever be special in our girls’ hearts. I love it that they have the opportunity to see their parents making it a priority to spend alone time together. I hope they will also know how much Daddy values being with them.
So I’m wondering. . .does your family do “Daddy Dates?” And what else do your kids and husband do to stay connected in the middle of crazy schedules and a busy life full of many responsibilities? Hey Dads, you can chime in, too!!
If you haven’t ever calendared an official “Daddy Date” I hope you’ll give it a try. It’s priceless.
Up Next? Put the “Date” on the Calendar (Part 2)
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posted by Amy Colón
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Comments
Nov 19, 2008 at 02:01 PM
Oh, I love that he did 3 dates in one afternoon! What a guy! What a dad!
Yes, we do Daddy Dates. As a mom it is incredible to see my daughters treated like princesses by their dad--he opens doors and holds coata. It makes me hope that they will have very high standards when they are allowed to date. Dan says, "Yes we have rules for dating. My girls can date whenever they want. I will take them on any date they want to go on." Ha. I don't think that will fly forever.
Dan also walks our oldest to school, and sometimes walks her home. That is a special time for them because they catch up and he gets to hear about what she thinks about school, friends, and life.
He takes our son on outings alone too. I would say the main "rule" is that he finds something each kid likes (a certain movie, sport, activity or hobby) and does it with them. It's not necessarily what Dan likes, but he does it to be with them. And sometimes it can be free--like playing baseball or catch at the park.
Nov 19, 2008 at 08:38 PM
I sent a link to this to my hubby. I have been trying for years to get him to do this! I think it would be so special for the girls. I can remember going all kinds of places with my dad. Even up into high school we used to go almost every week to the local race track to watch the races together. It was good times spent with my daddy that I'll remember and cherish forever.
Hopefully Aaron will come around and start doing this with our girls!
Jan 7, 2009 at 01:08 AM
It's so cool that I found this today. Just last night, we not only put "Date Nights" on the calendar, but in the budget! This is an area that we've let slip, and trust me, we can feel it!
I love the idea of Daddy Dates, too. Chris used to take the kids out every Saturday morning for breakfast, and give me a few hours alone in the house. Again, we've let that kinda fade to the back burner. So this was a much needed reminder.
Thanks, Amy! For doing what you do!
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