Dancing Queen

Last Friday, I went out on a date with a very special lady. Sweet Pea invited me to escort her to the Dad-Daughter Dance. Sweet Pea was so excited to go that she talked about it non-stop for two weeks. We also got a lot of milage out of using the dance as a behavior modifier. If SP didn't want to eat her green beans, all we had to do was ask her if she still wanted to go to the dance. Leverage is such a great parenting super power.

When the big day arrived, I couldn't wait to come home from work. While I was at work, SP was busy too. And when I say SP was busy, I mean SP and Lady Di were busy. Lady Di called me at work three times to remind me that I had to come straight home to get ready for the dance. I think she was just as excited as SP.

After school, Lady Di took SP to the nail salon. I guess they were having a kindergarten dance special, because Lady Di said it was full of little pixies. Then they went to get SP's hair done with curls, sparkles and a butterfly to match her dress. If you want to see more pictures of Sweet Pea, you can visit 'Life is Good'. I'm glad Lady Di told me to wear my sport jacket, otherwise I would have been embarrassingly underdressed.

Once dressed SP and I went to Perkins for our pre-dance meal. It was nice to sit with her, just the two of us, and talk. Being a five year old girl, she had plenty to talk about. She even managed to squeeze in a burping demonstration for me. What a fancy girl.

We then went to the elementary gymnasium decorated with lots of hearts, cupids and all things pink. There were probably fifty or more Dad and Daughter couples attending. Over fifty kindergarten girls in princess dresses, squealing and giggling the night away. The night started out with all of the Dads singing a Valentine song to their girls. Then we got down to dancing. And we really 'got down'. We did the Hokey Pokey and the Chicken Dance. And a dance SP liked to do where she held my hands and slid her feet between my legs and have me pull her up again. This was a workout for an old guy in a suit.

We had a couple of welcome breaks to draw for door prizes and drink punch. There was also a snack table with a fancy white table cloth. On the table were meat and cheese sandwiches, Valentine cookies, pillow mints and a bowl of cheetos with a fancy spoon. Very elegant.

We both had a great time, and were exhausted when we got home. I was hoping I wouldn't get a sugar cookie/cheeto hangover in the morning.

Thank goodness I had Lady Di watching out for me. I had no idea what to expect at a Dad-Daughter dance. Lady Di was the one to get us both dolled up properly. I certainly didn't have a clue that there would be a formal dress code. Lady Di also suggested going out to eat before the dance and make the night a special one for us. I wasn't even smart enough to know to get a corsage for SP. Lady Di was really on the ball and her efforts really made the night a magical one for both of us. I hope she can experience as much fun at a Mom and Son dance sometime.

I'm glad our FYCC community group supports events like these. This will be a memory that I will keep for many years to come. Since we had so much fun for SP's first dance, I want to be her date for every other dance that she attends. I'm her Dad and that's final. I know I will probably only be her date for a few more years, but as she grows up, I hope she will never feel embarrassed to dance with her Dad.