20
Picnic at the Park

Grab

Small cooler

Sandwich fixings

Chips, cookies, etc.

Fruit

Water bottles or juice boxes

Outdoor blanket or sleeping bag

Ball

Car keys

Go

Work together in the kitchen to prepare a picnic lunch. Your daughter can help make the sandwiches and fill plastic bags with chips. She can wash fruit and help pack the cooler. Praise her for pitching in to help.

Choose a park with a playground to visit together. Have fun walking or biking to the park, or have fun driving in the car with the radio turned up loud!

Have a blast playing together at the park—push her on the swings, chase her around the equipment, and tickle her when she reaches the bottom of the slide. Play tag and hide-and-seek, and play catch with the ball. The main idea is to play!

When you’re ready for a break, spread out the blanket and enjoy your picnic lunch. Savor this time with your daughter and feel like a kid again!

Dad to Dad

Sometimes it’s hard to clear your mind of all your many responsibilities. There are always issues at work to think about and things needing repair at home. Challenge yourself to be fully present with your daughter today. Leave your cell phone and iPod in the car. Try to put your cares aside for a little while so she can enjoy having her daddy’s undivided attention. It will be a gift to both of you!

Grow

Proverbs 17:22 says that “a cheerful heart is good medicine.” Hopefully playing together today was a chance to lighten your heart and “cure” you of any negativity and stress you’ve been carrying. Perhaps it also brought some healing between you and your daughter. Have the worries of life been distracting you from your relationship lately? Have the stresses at work affected your patience with her? May today be a step toward rebuilding the bridge between you.

Dear Lord,

Thank you for being the perfect Father who always has time to help and spend time with his children. Thank you for wanting to be close to us even when we fail to reach out to you. Thanks for giving me the greatest gift in the world—the chance to be the dad of this amazing girl. Help us to be close and to really stick together even when our days are so busy. We’re thankful for the chance to play today. You knew what we needed! We love you. Amen.