Daddy's Date Your Daughters

So, tonight (or should I say, Sunday) was a first. Joey took Savannah on her first date. She was so excited! It was only Thursday night when Joey and I were leaving for our date night that Savannah pleaded, "I wanna go date." After her recent show of cognitive development, (see my last post) and her new found success with potty training, Joey decided it was time.

So when I told Savannah that we needed to go get her ready for a date with Daddy, she couldn't have been more eager to please. She adores her Daddy and was thrilled to go with me to get ready. So I took her upstairs and let her pick out her outfit and her shoes. (I helped with the matching and layering.) She changed clothes then we went to fix her hair and do her make-up. She was precious to watch as she beamed from ear to ear, and for the first time in a while didn't shed a tear as I combed the knots out of her beautiful hair. I pretended to apply the make-up as she picked out each item from my make-up bag--a rare treat just in itself--, and she squealed with joy as she ran downstairs to go on a date with her Daddy.

This is a traditon now. A new part of our weekly routine. It may only happen once or twice a month, but Savannah will learn the way a girl is suppose to be treated from the most important male influence in her life---and guys--the few of you who might read this blog--I couldn't respect my husband more for being willing to invest his time in this way with his little girl.

I think it is so important for a father to date their daughters--from the time they are born until the time God sees fit to take them home. Sure, when that special man comes along and sweeps her off her feet, dad, you will inevitably take a backseat, but a seat that needs to be filled, neverthless. I think back to how my Granddaddy Roy use to take my mom out, just the two of them, at least once a year for a yearly outing. I can't remember if it would be for her birthday or sometime around Christmas (maybe she can enlighten me), but I do remember how my mother always beamed when she got to do this. Even with four kids, and after 15+ years of marriage, she still scooted around the house like a giddy school girl when it came time for her and her daddy to go out together--just the two of them. I know she still feels that void in her life since his passing in 1998, but at least she had all those years of "dates" to remember. Her time spent with her father didn't end when she got married; it just took on a different role.

A daughter will always hold a special place in her heart for her daddy. No matter the wrongs done, the disappointments shared, the wrongs that must be forgiven, the communication barriers that must be crossed--a daughter will still always--even if secretly and silently from afar or if only in a small dark corner of her heart--she will always adore her father and hope that he will adore her in return. Fortunately for some and unfortunately for others (depending on your relationship with your dad) he also usually ends up representing the physical form of your heavenly Father. How the two of you relate to one another is quite often how a daughter first learns to think of her relationship with the Lord. Fortunately for all you imperfect dads out there, God continues to mold us as young women and mold our perspective of a father over time into an adoring relationship with Him as Abba, but what you bring to the table from the start will always be a key part of the foundation of that relationship.

The key attributes of how I relate to the Lord as Father that my own daddy laid still influence me today. He taught me that the Lord is a God of compassion and care--that sometimes crawling up into your heavenly Father's lap and doing nothing but crying and resting for a while means more than a thousand words of prayer. My daddy taught me that my God is a Provider, a Refuge, and a Strong Tower. He also taught me some negatives that God has had to mold over the years, but that's not really for me to share for the whole world. No one's perfect, and we all need forgiveness at some point in our life. Bottom line: I still adore my daddy.

So Daddy's, date your daughters. If they're still breathing, they still need you to date them. Once a parent, always a parent. You never escape that role until the day you die. Encourage a man in your life today by passing along this blog. Let your daddy know how he's molded your relationship with the Lord.