I have a neighbor girl who goes on dates with her dad. When I first heard this I thought, "What a wonderful idea!" She shared with me how special these times with her dad were. He would call her up from work and ask her if she had any plans for the evening. Sometimes they would go to a movie or out to dinner. Sometimes they'd just grab dessert somewhere.

This is such a special idea. What this dad is doing is creating a special bond with his daughter and maintaining it through the turbulent teen years. He is providing an outlet in which she can share things with him. Most importantly he is teaching her what it's like to go on dates and how to be treated by a man. What perfect opportunities to demonstrate opening a door for a lady, pushing her seat in at a table, walking her to her front door, etc. She will know how it feels to be treated with respect and expect nothing less. Don't you want that for your daughter?

My neighbor girl recommended that dads start this with their daughters while they are younger - like elementary school so that they start doing father-daughter dates when they think it's really cool to be with their dad. But if your daughter is older, you can still give it a whirl. It's never too late to try an idea that could impact a life. It may just be a matter of who your son-in-law will turn out to be!