My Daughter's First Date!

Twenty years ago, there was this boy that I was crazy about! He had it all going on. He was smart, athletic, and drove a nice car! He not only had it going on in high school, but he was getting ready to go away to pitch for Michigan State University. This boy, who stole my heart as a young girl, is now my hubby!

You could only imagine what I was like when he asked me out on a date! There was nothing that was going to get in my way, even when he pulled up to my house in his black Trans Am and HONKED the HORN! My parents had known Mark since he was 10 years old. They liked him, but not when he was tooting his horn, not even coming to the door to take me out! I remember my mom saying, "Don't you dare go running out to his car! He can come to the door." I looked at her and said, "Mom, he's just shy." I took off running out the door to jump in his car! I was in heaven! 

Mark and I have screwed up in so many ways!  We didn't have role models to teach us and show us the way.  Nobody showed Mark how to date and treat a girl.  All he was concerned with was SEX!  I was a young girl looking for someone to love me, to make me feel special, and to delight in me.  I was extremely rebellious.  My parents did not have my complete heart and trust.  As much as our parents loved us, their marriage was not what I would have called successful!  They had their own issues going on.  So, it didn't help in preparing us for adulthood.  Mark and I were caught up in the world, and to be honest, at the time enjoying every minute!  However, with every choice came either a positive or negative consequence.

Now that we are parents, we want much more for our kids.  Thankfully, God has been teaching us and preparing us on how to do things differently.  One of the ways is by having awareness.  Just because you are a Christian doesn't mean that your kids won't screw up or make the same mistakes (or worse) than you or I have made.  We need the help of Christ. He can reveal to us why we made the choices we made in the past.  Having awareness is one step in creating a new path for our children and for many generations to come. The last thing we want is to hand our sin down to our kids.

Mark found a ring for Makenna.  Today, we went to the mall and bought it!  It's so pretty.  His plan (with my help) is to take his daughter on her first date with her first love-- her daddy!  Yes, she is only twelve, and dating is not what we are promoting.  We believe that if parents have their children's hearts and trust at a very young age, it will help stop them from getting sucked in to sexual sin, especially if they see their parents seek God and LIVE what they are teaching.  This date will not be easy for Mark! He's not a big talker, and neither is Makenna.  I wish I could videotape them both!  However, Mark knows it's important.  I've been helping him with the conversations he needs to have with her.  She is growing up, and if he wants a healthy, thriving relationship with his daughters and son, he needs to grow with them.  Yes, talking about God and how much he adores her will be the easy part.  He will also have to talk about sex, love, and boys, what it means to be sexual pure until marriage, and how hard this will be for her. How awesome for Makenna, not only to hear this from her mom, but from her dad, as well!  There could be a day that I'm not here, and she has to know she can come to her dad for anything. 

By taking Makenna on her first date, he will show her what is expected from a young man.  The ring he gives her will represent his love for her, to ask her if he has her heart.  Does she trust and love him, and know that her dad is seeking the wisdom of God, and has her best interest at heart?  He adores everything about her.  How beautiful for a young girl to know the love of Christ and the love of her daddy!

Can Makenna still rebel when she gets older?  We all know that answer.  However, we want to be intentional in everything we do, and our marriage and parenting is the most important thing on our list.  This will also set the tone for her sisters, and Mark has something else planned for his boy when he gets older.  By having God's leadership and guidance, having awareness, communicating, and showing by example, we feel will make the chances that our kids will rebel much smaller.


Yes, I do want a fairy tale marriage for my kids.  I know it's possible, because God has taken the toad that honked his horn 20 years ago, and turned him into the prince I've always dreamed of having.  This could not have happened without Christ. My girls will hear a silly story about their dad honking his horn for their mommy, but their own prince will show up for them when the time is right!