A group of doting dads are encouraging families to join in on the unofficial holiday that celebrates the special bond shared between a father and his daughter/s. And Kāpiti Dads are welcome to enjoy the occasion.
Following the concept of Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, a group of Wellington fathers wishing they spent more time with their family came up with the idea, Dad & Daughter Date Night.
“To celebrate the date, there’s one simple rule spend time together,” said Wellingtonian Mike Egan, Dad and Daughter Date Night founder.
“We live in an increasingly digital world, spending less and less time interacting with our families and forgetting the enjoyment that good old fashioned face to face quality time brings. Dad & Daughter Date Night is just the reminder dads need to make the time for their daughter/s.
“There have been numerous studies carried out on the positive effects a father’s presence has in a daughter’s life such as boosting self esteem, improving academic success and lessening anxiety.
“One recurring recommendation in these studies is spending time together. Time is referred to by numerous family experts as the ‘greatest bonding element’.
“This is exactly what Dad & Daughter Date Night is about: encouraging dads and daughters to make time for each other. Whether it’s watching a movie together, going out for dinner or a trip to the dairy, as long as it’s time spent together the objective’s achieved,” Mr Egan said.
Dad and Daughter Date Night launched last year. Mr Egan reports that the inaugural event was a successful start with a number of restaurants coming on board with deals and complimentary deals for dad and daughter duos and groups. There were also reports from fathers of DVD evenings and dad-daughter cook offs.
Dad & Daughter Date Night has a Facebook page with offers and ideas, from the free to the fancy, for ideas on what to do on this date. facebook.com/Dadanddaughterdatenight
In keeping with tradition Dad & Daughter Date Night falls on a day not a date the first Sunday in August. This year it will be on Sunday 5th August.
