Most guys are familiar with the idea of a daddy daughter date. It’s a time to spend quality one on one time with your little girl and have fun. But more than that, it’s a opportunity to show your daughter how a real man should treat a girl. Its a chance to teach her how she deserves to be treated, so that she doesn’t date some loser later on.

I recently took one of my girls on such a date (to Chick-fil-A) which has gotten me to thinking more about dates and time with my kids. As I have thought about this I can’t help but realize that my actions on a special date do teach my daughter a lot, but my daily actions teach her much more.

Every day I teach my kids how a husband and father should act. If I’m honest, I don’t do well most days. Sometimes I yell, I’m selfish in my responses to the kids and Jess, I’m stressed out or checked out. It’s one thing to show my daughter how a guy should treat her on a date where I’m being conscious of how I act. It’s another thing to realize that my daily interactions teach her much more than a date ever could.