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School’s Out For The Summer – Another Milestone
This morning, I’ll be going out to breakfast with my wife and kids and then I’ll be heading into the middle school for an awards assembly and celebration gathering for my daughter who will be ending her middle school career.
As I was tucking her into bed last night, Hannah confessed that she was sad that this was her last day at the school before she heads into high school in the fall. She has grown close to a great group of friends. She has enjoyed the joys and challenges brought on by her wonderful teachers. And she has especially fallen in love with the library and the library staff.
I know she’ll do fine at the next level, but I can also empathize with her feelings of sadness at the thought of leaving familiar territory and the prospect of facing the unknown. While it’s important to celebrate the past (and that’s what we’ll be doing today), it is also important to embrace the future. Just as God’s love has been evident in the past, His mercies will be new in the journey ahead.
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23
So as one of our kids bids farewell to middle school today, I thank God for the promise of a new day, a new chapter, and a continued hope that lies ahead.
Hannah, I’m so proud of you, and I’m looking forward to seeing how God reveals his mercies to you in the next step of your adventure.
What milestone are you facing these days? Are you looking forward with apprehension and fear or with hope and excitement (or maybe some of both)?
Book Review: Interviewing Your Daughter’s Date by Dennis Rainey
Last month, Leanne and I attended a FamilyLife Weekend to Remember event in Hershey, PA. As you may recall from a few of my posts, this was a memorable and special weekend for us. While we were there, we picked up several books to help us in our marriage and in our parenting. One such resource was Interviewing Your Daughter’s Date (8 Steps To No Regrets) by FamilyLife co-founder and president Dennis Rainey.
Interviewing Your Daughter’s Date is a short book designed for father’s with daughters. In this book, Rainey offers his perspective on how to approach the whole dating thing with your daughter and her potential dates. Rainey recommends a process of interviewing each young man prior to permitting his daughter to go out with him. This may sound old-fashioned and intimidating, but I think that Rainey is on to something.
Not only does this method protect the daughter from guy’s who might not match up with the family expectations for moral perspective, work ethic, and boundaries, Rainey’s interviewing process provides an opportunity to shape the lives of young men. As part of the interview, Dennis Rainey asks each young man to use this method if and when their own daughter’s start to date.
Interviewing Your Daughter’s Date comes at a good time in my parenting path. My daughter, Hannah, hasn’t started dating yet; however, at age 14, the whole dating thing isn’t too far off. As a dad, I want to be prepared to protect my daughter and to help her find the right man. Rainey’s book definitely gives me a lot to think about as I prepare for this time in my parenting journey.
I would recommend Interviewing Your Daughter’s Date to any parent with daughters. You’ll find the book educational, encouraging, and thought-provoking.
When was your last interview?
Do you have any daughters? If so, how have you handled the dating process or how do you plan to handle the dating process?