A daddy date first

I like to think that I have a very special relationship with Emery. Not only is she THE girl, but she's the youngest too. She gives me hugs every morning and every night, and throughout the day. She loves to cuddle with me and sit in my lap every chance she gets. Even though she's turning 6 in July, she still want to be picked up and held several times a day.

Her smile and laughter are constant and infectious. Although I do say "no" to her constant requests, I must admit, it is hard and I probably give in more than I should.

Last Saturday, I took her out to the mall for the first time ever on our special daddy time date. We went to do some shopping at the store Claire's since she loves dressing up. Most of her "jewelry" is made up of various plastic toys or hand me downs from mom. Emery had just earned a couple of bucks so I thought I'd see what we could get for $2-3.

Unfortunately, you can't get much these days for that! But we had a great time together. I take her out on these dates for three primary reasons. First, I want to spend time with her because I love my daughter. These days go by fast, and I want to enjoy having fun with her.

Second, I want to build the kind of relationship with her where we are always comfortable talking. That's what we will continue to do because that's what we've always done. When she becomes a teenager or a pre-teen or whatever else it may be called in years to come, we won't have to figure out how to connect because we will have always connected. I took some time on this date to talk about inward beauty. Since the mall and everyone around us was so focused on external beauty, I thought it was a good opportunity to begin setting a biblical foundation for caring more about how her heart looks to God than her fashion looks to men.

Third, I want to show her directly how a man should treat her. She sees my example of how I treat Sandy as my wife. But I also want her to experience how a man should respect her, care for her and talk to her like I do. I want to start preparing her now to know what kind of man she should be looking for when that day comes...hopefully many, many, many years from now. Did I mention it's going to be a while?

The mall is one of my least favorite places to go and shopping is one of my least favorite things to do. But my precious daughter is worth it. And to treat her and myself, we enjoyed a DQ Blizzard too. A dad can make the best of every situation!