Valentine’s Day is less than a week away, which naturally means it’s time for dads to go on dates with their daughters.Good lord, doesn’t that sound creepy?I’ve got two daughters, but one of them is eighteen years old, and I don’t recall Daddy Daughter Dances being a thing when she was little, say 2004 or so. However, my younger daughter, who’s five, somehow found out about a Daddy Daughter Dance and decided that she wanted to go.So we went.I love the idea of fathers spending time with their daughters. Any parent who will actually make their children a priority in their lives gets thumbs up from me. But there’s just something about Daddy Daughter Dances that’s always made me feel uneasy and creepy.Maybe it’s because I frequently hear people refer to the dances as an opportunity for father and daughter to go on a date. Yuck! Or maybe it’s for the same reason that those mother/son and father/daughter dances at weddings give me the heebie jeebies.There’s parent-child stuff in this world and there’s romantic couple stuff in this world. Let’s keep each of those things in its own realm.Daddy Daughter Dances also remind me of purity rings and this idiotic car commercial with Kevin Hart, and that whole idea of a possessive dad who has to protect his angelic daughter from demonic teen boys. I hate that crap, even though I was a teen boy once.
However, even though the idea of a Daddy Daughter Dance creeped me out, my daughter and I had a blast! We got dressed up, got our picture taken, danced crazy to a few songs, ate too many cookies, played with balloons, and just enjoyed spending time together. I didn’t think of us being on a date, or at a dance. We did the same things we do at home, only in fancier clothes and surrounded by a bunch of other people.Those other people included fathers of all sorts. As my daughter and I danced, ate and wandered, I noticed that fathers at the dance could be classified into one or more categories.There was the No Way Am I Going to Dance dad. He stood off to the side and watched his daughter dance, but refused to step onto the dance floor. When the DJ announced a slow song and asked all the daughters to bring their dads to the dance floor, this dad turned around, walked away, and pretended like he didn’t hear the DJ or see his daughter.There was the I’m Not Dancing, but I’ll Do the Hokey Pokey dad. This dad is exactly who he sounds like. He’s just like the guy from the previous paragraph, but he’s willing to make an ass out of himself if most of the other dads are doing it. More dads “danced” to the Hokey Pokey than any other song of the night, probably because no dance moves are required since the song tells you exactly what to do.There was the I’m Just Here to Hang Out With These Other Dads dad. When we first arrived I noticed that more than half the dads in attendance were standing around in groups, or sitting at tables, and talking to other dads, with their daughters nowhere in sight. I’m sure all these dads knew each other, and were just being friendly, and there were groups of girls without a dad in sight, but it still struck me as odd. I wondered if any of the dads had the foresight to sneak in a flask. If so, their Daddy Daughter Dance was probably very similar to a regular night hanging out with their friends.There was the I’m Always on my Cell Phone, so Why Should It Be Any Different Now Just Because We’re at a Dance dad. These dads were by themselves, off to the side, staring at the screens in their hand, for more than just a few seconds. A few sat in the bleachers. It could be that their daughters ditched them to go run around with their friends. But still, if I had a cell phone I wouldn’t want my daughter to think that whatever was on that screen was more important than she was, no matter what she was doing.There was the You’re Not Getting Me Away from the Refreshments Table dad. I only saw a couple of these dads, but they meant business. We passed one guy a few times who I’m quite sure ate his weight in chocolate chip cookies and Ritz crackers. And he weighed a lot! Nothing wrong with getting your money’s worth out of those $25 tickets, I suppose.There was the Don’t Mess Up Your Hair or Your Dress dad. This was most dads, but only while waiting in line for pictures. I heard endless admonishments about being careful with hair and clothes before pictures. Those admonishments frequently ended with “…or your mother will kill me.” After pictures most dads went back to the status quo of not paying attention to their daughter’s hair or dress.I don’t know how many of the other dads fell into the Daddy Daughter Dances Creep Me Out group, but I’m sure there were a few. However, when your five-year-old daughter says she wants to dress up and hang out with you, you do it.And by the end of the night, you don’t care if it seemed creepy at the beginning. Because chances are you’ve had a wonderful time and you’ve created memories both of you will always cherish.And maybe—just maybe—you’ll look forward to going again next year.Now, just enter your e-mail, and I'll let you know when I write something new. I promise I won't send you any crap, and you can ditch me any time you want.
IF YOU LIKED THIS POST I BET YOU'LL ALSO LIKE: My Daughter Came to Work with Me TodayPREVIOUS POST: How Did We Become Dog Owners?