Fun Night with Our Four Boys

This reader's comment is in response to an article about Father-Daughter Dates by Dianna Sanchez, as posted in Deborah Taylor-Hough’s newsletter, Bright-Kids.  Deborah is the author of  'A Simple Choice.'   http://hometown.aol.com/dsimple/     Used by permission

I enjoyed the article on father/daughter dates. A few years ago my husband and I decided we would have a 'Fun Night' with our four boys. Either my husband or myself will go out with one boy, to an activity of his choosing (with a price limit). We spend individual time with them, everybody gets a turn, and try to forget any troubles they might be getting into. We also tell them how much we enjoy hanging out with them, even if we had to run all over the park, or follow their every step through playground equipment, or sit through a movie made for 5-year-olds. They come to know they are important to us, and they remember us playing with them. But the biggest benefit for me, was my oldest son would start talking to me when we got into the van. So, my advice is, when you have to drive to your one-on-one activity, turn off the radio and LISTEN TO YOUR CHILD. We now have a two-year-old daughter, and I can hardly wait until she's old enough to participate in Fun Nights. And I think it's a great idea to use the time to train them how to behave when they get to dating age, and just have them show they do know all the stuff we taught them about manners that they don't bother to show us at home (speaking as a mom of boys). --Lorena R.