Book Review - 88 Great Daddy-Daughter Dates by Rob & Joanna Teigen

I have three memories of "dating" my father.

I remember riding in the jeep with him on a "road trip." (Did we only go to the corner store? Or was it a true trip?)

I remember multiple weekends spent at the ski center. Dad worked as ski patrol, so I think I skied most of the day by myself. I do remember several hours spent in the patrol office, laughing with the adults. I do remember riding the lift with dad and how special this "me and my dad" time felt.

And I remember him taking me to the mall for my fourteenth birthday. He took me to Merle Norman, where I learned to apply make-up. (Dad didn't want me looking like a clown. It was the 80s, and girls liked to wear pink/purple/blue eyeshadow drawn up to their ears with neon mascara and bright-colored lipstick.) He took me out for lunch, and that's all I remember.

I wish we'd had more opportunities to spend quality time together. I wish I had more than three memories of dates with my dad. Fortunately, I still get to spend time with him, occasionally. But not often.

 

There are a handful of books I wish had been printed during my childhood or early adulthood. 88 GreatDaddy-Daughter Dates is one of them. Had this book been out when my father was raising me, my relationship with him when I endured my teen years could have been much stronger. I am grateful my daughter has an opportunity to have the strong relationship with her Daddy I wish I had as a child.

Rob and Joanna Teigen have put an invaluable resource into the hands of fathers. Within the pages of their book are multiple date ideas complete with supply checklists and budget boundaries under the label of “Grab,” an introduction to the date idea and instructions under the label of “Go,” and a brief devotion for Dad to discuss with his girl and a prayer for their date under the label “Grow.” There are several additional resources listed throughout the book, each related to one of the dates.

I began reading this book out loud to my husband as he and my daughter planned a night out. The “Be a Blessing to Mom” date mentioned doing something for mom. Initially, he rolled his eyes at me. “Yeah, it’s all about you,” he chided. Much to my surprise, when they arrived home, our daughter bore a gift for me. “We picked this out for you, Mommy. Because we love you.” It touched my heart, to say the least. The lesson? It’s important to remember how much mom does for us every day and to remind her how special she is. For a mother whose primary love language is Acts of Service, this daddy/daughter date speaks volumes. I pray one day my daughter has a husband and children who will honor her in such ways.

What I love about these dates is that they encourage fathers to strengthen their relationships with their daughters. They encourage fathers to get their daughters talking and then to listen to what they have to say about themselves and life. The dates encourage dads to go the extra mile, to teach their daughters what godly women should expect from someone who claims to love them. This is a book fathers should own, no matter what age their princess is.

The second thing I love about these dates is the budget feature. Some dates require very simple things one can find in the closet at home. Others simply require a little gas money. Some are “home dates” and others require dad to take his daughter out. At the end of the book are several dates that require far more money and/or resources but provide memories of a lifetime, such as “Horsing Around” (go for a horseback ride) and “Camping Trip.” Finally, at the end of the book, is a list of twenty dates a father can do with his teenaged daughter.

As a daughter, I feel this is an extremely important book for fathers. As I said, if my dad and I had the opportunity to go on these dates, our relationship when I was a teen would have been much stronger. I’m incredibly thankful to the Teigens for taking the time to write this resource and to Revell for publishing it. Such wisdom from both. Dads, it’s time to take your daughters out…

Please note: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for the sake of review. I am not required to give a good review. I give my review based upon my own opinion of the book.

88 Great Daddy-Daughter Dates is available March 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.