This past December my brother and I took our daughters to see the Nutcracker ballet. I enjoyed it, and our daughters did too. This experience got me thinking about other Daddy-Daughter dates and reminded me of a conversation I had with my wife. What kinds of activities should a dad do with his daughter?
The Nutcracker may be a new tradition with my daughter and I, but I want to share with her the things that I truly enjoy. She has accompanied me to the Emerald City ComiCon in Seattle for a few years now, and she has gone with me to watch my old high school play football. I won’t take her to get facials or a mani-pedi, but we will go have a hot dog and peanuts at a Husky or Seahawks game.
She gets to have “Mommy Days” and “Daddy Days”, and those days should be different. As parents, we share ourselves with our children. We share our passions and our interests. We share for the opportunity for them to discover something to be passionate about. This does not happen in front of a television, a computer, or a mobile device.
I like the sentiment. I have difficulty relating to our nine year old, as i’m not her bio and i didn’t come into her life until two and a half years ago. It would be nice if I could find something special that would just be hers and mine.
Inside jokes are also a great way to share something fun between the two of you. Good luck with that… as they approach teen ages, I think it gets harder and harder.