TulsaJeff
06-13-2004, 10:30 PM
When my daughter was around 2 years old I began taking her on "dates" every Thursday night. It may have been Burger King and a walk around the lake or just swinging together at the park but she talked about it all week and on Thursday evening she would have mommy put on her favorite dress and favorite shoes and her hair would be all fixed in some elaborate fashion... she was absolutely ecstatic about the event. One of her favorite things to do was to stop at a small convenience store, buy a candy bar and a coke or perhaps an ice cream cone and sit out on the sidewalk together as we ate our goodies.
As time went on, little sister got older and I began taking her on Tuesday nights following the same rituals and having the same amount of fun as big sister had. I remember looking forward to those 2 nights a week of absolutely uninhibited fun (you can really be yourself around 2 and 3 year olds and they thing you are just great!)
Somehow as time went on we ended up moving to Oklahoma to take another job and during the shuffle I got busy with my job and church and now a son who is 22 months old... the "dates" just more or less took a back seat to everything.
My oldest daughter asked me the other day, "Daddy, why don't we go on dates anymore?" I could not do anything but hang my head in shame. The very things that I held dear just got swept under the rug for so long. My daughters will soon be 7 and 9 and I am thinking of all the moments I have missed due to my negligent behaviour.
I guess what I am trying to say is... don't let life crowd out the things that are really important. I have promised my daughters that we would be going on dates from now on and that is good...they are happy with that and so forgiving but it would have been so much better if I could have had a wake up call several years ago instead of missing out on over 3 years of daddy/daughter time together.
As I look at both of them and realize how much I have to teach them before they grow up I just shudder. It seems as if they are just growing up too fast and I cannot keep up. I want to instill convictions and beliefs that emulate God but I realize they must see these things through me... on a consistent day to day basis... Not just on Sunday at church.
I am a firm believer that child rearing requires more than a "lay me down to sleep" prayer life. We are the bridge that connects our children with the God of this universe. It requires wisdom and understanding that goes beyond our natural abilities or the wisdom and knowledge of Dr. Phil. It requires a relationship with the father of us all... the great and mighty Lord Jesus Christ!
My first post here by the way... I have been a reader for a while and so I feel like I know alot of you already.
As time went on, little sister got older and I began taking her on Tuesday nights following the same rituals and having the same amount of fun as big sister had. I remember looking forward to those 2 nights a week of absolutely uninhibited fun (you can really be yourself around 2 and 3 year olds and they thing you are just great!)
Somehow as time went on we ended up moving to Oklahoma to take another job and during the shuffle I got busy with my job and church and now a son who is 22 months old... the "dates" just more or less took a back seat to everything.
My oldest daughter asked me the other day, "Daddy, why don't we go on dates anymore?" I could not do anything but hang my head in shame. The very things that I held dear just got swept under the rug for so long. My daughters will soon be 7 and 9 and I am thinking of all the moments I have missed due to my negligent behaviour.
I guess what I am trying to say is... don't let life crowd out the things that are really important. I have promised my daughters that we would be going on dates from now on and that is good...they are happy with that and so forgiving but it would have been so much better if I could have had a wake up call several years ago instead of missing out on over 3 years of daddy/daughter time together.
As I look at both of them and realize how much I have to teach them before they grow up I just shudder. It seems as if they are just growing up too fast and I cannot keep up. I want to instill convictions and beliefs that emulate God but I realize they must see these things through me... on a consistent day to day basis... Not just on Sunday at church.
I am a firm believer that child rearing requires more than a "lay me down to sleep" prayer life. We are the bridge that connects our children with the God of this universe. It requires wisdom and understanding that goes beyond our natural abilities or the wisdom and knowledge of Dr. Phil. It requires a relationship with the father of us all... the great and mighty Lord Jesus Christ!
My first post here by the way... I have been a reader for a while and so I feel like I know alot of you already.