The Communication Game

Christmas is a few days away and I can guarantee you there will be board games under our tree. How about you? Do you take the time to slow down and play a board game with the kids?

Here's a board game that is specifically designed for dads and daughters. From the publisher:

If you talk to your children now, chances are they'll talk to you later. The Communication Game a is a fun game that makes it easy for fathers and daughters to communicate with each other on "father-daughter" outings via a fun, casual "you ask, I answer" format...

The game is designed for fathers with daughers' age 10 or higher, but many fathers have played with daughters much younger. The game was invented over ten years ago by a father who was looking for a way to stay in touch with his daugter after being separated by divorce.

Awards:
2009 Teachers Choice Awards for the family by Learning Magazine
2008 National Parenting Publications Awards
2007 Game of the Year Award by Creative Child Magazine

The Communication Game - The Father Daugther Communication Game & Learning Tool.

At Amazon

She Calls Me Daddy

With three boys in the house, it is always a struggle to keep my daughter from "falling through the cracks". I'll be honest...it's just easier to deal with boys.

Going through an old box of books the other day I found this book again. My daughter is a teen, so it's been a few years since I read it. But if I remember correctly, it is a good book.

Check it out:

She Calls Me Daddy Review

Malachi Global Foundation

Way back in February of 2007, the third post on this blog was a review of Brian Molitor's book Boy's Passage, Man's Journey.

From the looks of his website, it seems his ministry is still going strong!

I hope to soon read his book for daughters: Girl's Passage - Father's Duty.

Check him out here:

Malachi Global Foundation

Dads and Daughters

Here's a great website that is a source of all kinds of info/articles/resources/etc. for dads and daughters:

Dads & Daughters improves the lives of fathers, daughters, and their families with outstanding educational resources supporting fathers’ involvement in girls’ lives and advocacy for girls’ well-being.

DADs’ tools and resources help develop supportive and healthy father-daughter relationships. Strong, positive relationships between daughters and their fathers and stepfathers helps girls increase their self esteem, gives them greater opportunities for self-fulfillment, delays the onset of puberty, and provides many other benefits—including improving the father’s health.

Dads and Daughters

Aggressive Girls

Who would have thought this would be a problem?

I'm not sure how it is in your circles, but from what I can tell teen and pre-teen girls are very aggressive these days. I've seen some very tasteless and desperate behavior on the part of girls who throw themselves at guys for attention/affirmation.

There are two sides to this to be sure... and I'm becoming acquainted with both. My oldest son is on the receiving end of some of this attention. And my daughter is at an age where her peers are starting to demonstrate it. In a bizarre twist, her friends sometimes demonstrate this aggressiveness towards her brother (hopefully this is helping her see the foolishness of it!)

Here's an article from well-known Christian author/speaker Dennis Rainey with his impressions of this "new" problem:

Back when I was growing up, there were some girls who were called “boy crazy,” but very few were as forward and aggressive as what we’re seeing today. Based on my conversation with parents, and what I’ve seen through research on the Internet, I think parents are facing some serious challenges. We’re seeing more girls taking the initiative with guys at younger and younger ages, and aggressively attempting to lure them into sexual activity....
the situation has changed enough in recent years that we need to ask, “How can we prepare our teenage sons for dealing with the attention and temptation being thrown at them by some sexually aggressive girls?”

Protecting Your Son From Aggressive Girls
(The Family Room - March 2008 - FamilyLife.com)

Fathers & Daughters: Polished Cornerstones

It's time once again to make a post about a daddy/daughter resource. The fact that I have to specifically point it out sadly speaks volumes. You see, our house is a "boy house".

If you don't know what I mean by that (or for that matter that such a designation existed), you're probably in one. It took me a long time to appreciate (after being reminded repeatedly by my wife and daughter) what exactly being in a "boy house" entails.

Suffice it to say that with three boys in the home, my lone daughter feels the implications daily, while I have a tendency to forget...only to occasionally be jarred out of my stupor.

Here's a book that promises to help me stay aware:

As we look across the landscape of Christian families and Christian homes, there is one relationship which has been universally forgotten and forsaken -- that of fathers and daughters. God designed it to be one of the most beautiful and powerful relationships that we can experience. As we seek to see the Godly family restored, we must not ignore the special bond that God creates between every girl and her daddy. DAVID BARRETT, and his twenty-one year old daughter, ELYSSE BARRETT, want to see Christian families be all that God designed for them to be...and it starts with the restoration of a father's heart towards his daughter and a daughter towards her father! (Malachi 4:6)

Fathers & Daughters: Polished Cornerstones

Cinderella

If you have a daughter, you need to listen to this song. I have always liked Steven Curtis Chapman, even though I'm not a huge fan...but this song is really touching. The lyrics are below:

“Cinderella” by Steven Curtis Chapman

She spins and she sways
To whatever song plays
Without a care in the world
And I'm sitting here wearing
The weight of the world on my shoulders

It's been a long day
And there's still work to do
She's pulling at me
Saying "Dad, I need you

There's a ball at the castle
And I've been invited
And I need to practice my dancing
Oh, please, Daddy, please?"

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone...

She says he's a nice guy and I'd be impressed
She wants to know if I approve of the dress
She says, "Dad, the prom is just one week away
And I need to practice my dancing
Oh, please, Daddy, please?"

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone

She will be gone

Well, she came home today with a ring on her hand
Just glowing and telling us all they had planned
She says, "Dad, the wedding's still six months away
But I need to practice my dancing
Oh, please, Daddy, please?"

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone

Modesty

My wife and I were rolling our eyes this morning that the latest American Girl Magazine You Pick It topic (where girls get to send in their stories/poems/etc) was "Fashion Frenzy". Our daughter was so excited to find out the topic, but kind of looked bewildered when she saw what it was.

The fact is, fashion has become an increasingly important topic to her peers, and even though she is a little behind the curve (thankfully), it is starting to become important to her as well. As this change takes place we are working hard to keep the concept of modesty in the forefront of our conversations.

Here are a couple of websites that are among the very few voices talking about modesty in fashion for girls without becoming over-zealous and weird about it:

Girl Talk Blog

Modestly Yours Blog

Modesty Survey

Generations of Virtue

With a teenager son and a "tweenager" daughter, I am always looking for resources that deal with combating the cultural pressures around them. The constant flow of information through movies, music, tv, and peers gives a pervading message of relativistic values to our kids as the world tries to squeeze them into the mold.

As fathers, it is our job to protect them and anchor them to the Truth. But how do we do this without becoming isolationists, protecting them to the point that they are unable to cope when they leave the home and are on their own? Only by equipping and preparing them now to understand the difference will they be able to survive and even perhaps lead their peers to a higher moral standard.

Generations of Virtue is a non-profit, volunteer-driven ministry that equips parents to empower their kids for purity in our world today. We work closely with parents and teens as we provide them with classic and cutting-edge resources to fight the battle for purity.

It looks like they break down their book resources by gender and age to make it easier to find appropriate material. Also, they provide dvds, audio books, and purity jewelry. Check it out at:

Generations of Virtue

Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters

Having three boys I spend a lot of time focusing on father/son issues...but I also have a daughter that God has blessed me with. Finding resources for father/daughter issues is a little bit harder, that's why I am so excited about a book I just came across called Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters by Dr. Meg Meeker.

I am ordering the book and will post a review as soon as I am done, but in the meantime here are some videos of an interview with her (Below is part 1. There are 6 parts in total). Great stuff!

Unfading Beauty

For my daughter's 10 birthday, my wife and I performed a womanhood ceremony with her (we do this every 3 years for the ages 7 through 19).

We took her to Duke Gardens, a beautiful renowned garden near our home. As we walked around the gardens surrounded by beautiful flowers and landscaping, we shared with her five principles that we hope will encourage her as she continues to grow into a Godly woman.

The first principle has to do with "Unfading Beauty", how a true woman's focus is not only on her outward beauty, but on her inward beauty. Below is a copy of the actual letter we gave her. I am convinced our daughters need to hear words of encouragement from their dads.

Unfading Beauty

Generations of Light -- Purity Ball

Randy Wilson has put together a very nice website that ties together several concepts including intentional discipling, meaningful ceremonies, and imparting of blessings.

There are quite a few articles, videos, and resources available on the site, most with the focus of preparing your daughters to flourish in adulthood.

Probably the best know thing to come out of his ministry is the concept of the "Purity Ball". I had heard of it but didn't know the details...this site has all the info you could want:

The Father Daughter Purity Ball is a memorable ceremony for fathers to sign commitments to be responsible men of integrity in all areas of purity. The commitment also includes their vow to protect their daughters in their choices for purity.

Generations of Light Purity Ball