These two are out on a date tonight. (Not sure if that's a mafia sign or a gangster sign that Josh Downs is flashing.)
We've never had a pre-teen girl in the house before, so this is new territory for us, but we read somewhere (and that somewhere is here) that dads should take their daughters out on dates - not just spending time together, but actually going on planned, formal dates.
The objective being to get our daughters so accustomed to being treated with care and respect in a dating environment, that they would immediately recognize and reject any guy that wasn't treating them the right way.
So she put on a dress and he put on a button-up shirt to make it look official, and while he was doing so, I reminded him of how important communication skills are on dates, and then when I noticed she was already waiting for him in the car, I motioned for her to come back inside so I could spray a tiny bit of perfume on her (because let's not overlook the importance of smelling subtly good) which worked out perfectly because it gave her dad a second-chance to open the car door.
And as they were pulling out of the driveway, Josh said to me, "Hey baby, you dropped something on the ground." and when I bent over to pick up what looked like the appointment reminder card that I got from the kid's orthodontist yesterday, I heard Annie holler, "Mom, dad just threw that out the car window so he could watch you pick it up."
Which sets the stage perfectly for yet another important dating lesson...Courtney, if you're ever out on a date and a boy tells you that you dropped something on the ground, don't fall for it.
I love the whole reason for doing this! Courtney Lee is a lucky lady to have a Dad (and a Mom like you) who cares for her so much. Please tell us more about the date once they are back@
Posted by: Crystal | July 30, 2013 at 07:46 PM
SO fun. You two are just the best ever. The bEST! Hope they had a wonderful and memorable time.
Posted by: janel | July 30, 2013 at 08:41 PM
Awww that's so sweet.
"if you're ever out on a date and a boy tells you that you dropped something on the ground, don't fall for it."
But if you're married, fall for it ;)
Posted by: TracyBzz | July 30, 2013 at 08:52 PM
Precious! What a lucky girl to have such a great dad!
Posted by: colette | July 30, 2013 at 08:54 PM
Awesome! Want my hubby to do this for our daughter when she is a bit older, too. So bittersweet...
Posted by: Kim | July 30, 2013 at 09:04 PM
Such a cool idea
Posted by: Colleen | July 30, 2013 at 09:07 PM
Hiliarious.................the dropping the card thing. I think it's a lovely idea for her to go out on a date with her Dad. Regards Kathy A, Brisbane, Australia
Posted by: Kathy | July 30, 2013 at 09:45 PM
Aww...love this!
Posted by: Addie | July 30, 2013 at 10:10 PM
Excellent idea! And I have to laugh because my husband would do the same thing, though I have NO idea why!
Posted by: Lisa | July 31, 2013 at 04:32 AM
Also a great reminder to dads to treat all women with respect.
Posted by: sharon | July 31, 2013 at 04:37 AM
Courtney looks beautiful and so proud to be going out on a date with her dad!! I love this idea - my daughter is only 4, so we have a while to wait, but my hubby and I have been talking about how we need to make time for date nights with the kids. Just a little special one-on-one time with each of them. This is spurring me to get that going!
Posted by: Niki | July 31, 2013 at 04:39 AM
Priceless...
Posted by: Kathy R in NC | July 31, 2013 at 05:07 AM
I'm pretty sure Josh Downs and my husband could be separated at birth - that or for sure best friends ;)
Posted by: Nikki | July 31, 2013 at 08:20 AM
HA! That is SOOO something that George would do too! Hahahaha...
Posted by: Christine P | July 31, 2013 at 09:58 AM
Love it!!!!! Perfect, perfect perfect :) Great idea, great execution and awesome ending!
Posted by: Rachelle S | July 31, 2013 at 11:08 AM
I think Napoleon put his hand in his jacket like that. I don't know what it means though. Maybe his fingers were cold.
Courtney Lee looks so happy! I hope they had a great time.
You shouldn't pick dirty things up off the ground!
Posted by: Kelli | July 31, 2013 at 11:16 AM
I love this idea!!! Tell Courtney she looked so pretty in that dress! I hope they had a good time on their date.
Posted by: Jen Fike | July 31, 2013 at 01:28 PM
Love this! When my son is old enough, I hope to teach him the same lesson - how to treat young ladies. And Josh is flashing I love you!
Posted by: Dina | July 31, 2013 at 01:29 PM
I think it is so sweet! I hope they had fun! And I love that your husband did that - too cute! ;)
Posted by: Stephanie @ La Dolce Vita | July 31, 2013 at 02:08 PM
My Dad and I used to do Daddy-Daughter dates. I'm 35 now and every once in a while we still do. I love them, for so many reasons and I'm sure it's something Courtney will cherish for the rest of her life.
Posted by: Michelle S. | July 31, 2013 at 02:31 PM
Sweet!!!
Posted by: kat-in-texas | July 31, 2013 at 04:18 PM
That is super adorable. My dad used to take us on dates as well when we were little too, but what is even cooler is that he still takes us out and plans fun dates for us as adult women.
Posted by: kilipohi | July 31, 2013 at 07:22 PM
Soooo sweet!!! Love the whole idea, you have a precious family.
Posted by: LAN | July 31, 2013 at 08:33 PM
I love this and wish all dad's would take their daughters' on dates for exactly the reason you stated. I went on dates with my son when he was small and he was taught how to treat a girl. Opening her car door, door to the restaurant, pulling out her chair and etc. To this day he still treats his girlfriends as he was taught.
Posted by: Mary Jo Griego | August 01, 2013 at 06:56 PM