For the last daddy-daughter date this month, I took my second daughter, the 10-year-old, out for breakfast. We had gotten a recommendation to try a local restaurant. My daughter said she wanted to check it out.
On the way over my daughter wanted to know how tall horses got. We talked about ponies and horses. The tallest breed I could remember is Clydesdales; Clydesdales grew to over 18 hands, or over six feet. My daughters have recently been interested miniature horses. We talked about small horses.
Once at the restaurant we placed our order, and then talked about some of the good things she has been doing. She said she’s been reading a lot, helping her younger sister learn to read, doing better in math, taking better care of her birds, and a few other things.
While we waited we drew on a paper placemat. I drew a little house. She drew trees. I drew a barn. She drew some fences. I drew a runway and a plane. She drew a hill. I drew a train. Then she told me a story about who lived there.
On the way home we noticed someone who appeared to be homeless. She wanted to know why people lived on the streets. I said there were a variety of reasons. One reason is some people have addictions to drugs and alcohol that make it hard for them to live normal lives. I remembered reading that some of the homeless have mental problems. I also related that one person I talked with said his wife had died and that he had chosen to live on the street.
When homeless people ask me for money I will almost always reply that I am willing to buy them food. Most of the time they will take me up on the offer for food. This way I feel confident that the money won't be wasted. My daughter and I talked about various ways we can help people.
It was a fun daddy-daughter date.
First daddy-daughter date. Second daddy-daughter date.
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Technorati tags: family, parenting
6 comments:
What a wonderful opportunity for education! Not all learning has to be done in the classroom...
It's good to see homeschool dads take interest in their kids' lives too.
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My girls love one on one time with their daddy - - and their mommy. I think it's a great thing that you are doing.
Sometimes I think that building character and family bonds is like building a rope. Every time we do something together it is like we are adding another thread to the rope.
I checked this out because my bet for biggest horse was on the Percheron but apparently it's the Shire. The record was for one in 1846 who was "21.2½ hands" (quoted from wikipedia, weird measurement) and, at his peak weighed 3,300 lbs.
Dawn, thanks for the information. I am sure my daughters will be interested. It is possible that my oldest daughter may even know.
I recommend "The Working Poor" by David K. Shipler for learning more about poverty in the US. I think it's important for everyone (kids included) to understand that there are many causes of poverty and that the solutions are not cut and dry.
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