(©Artwork by Lillian – All Rights Reserved)
One sure fire way to get to know your child’s likes, dislikes, passions and strengths is to take them on a date. I have a once a month regularly scheduled date with Thomas and Lillian. I took Lillian on her date this past weekend. Lillian’s favorite date activities are going to the library, out to eat and shopping.
For our date this weekend we went to the library first. I truly believe if we could stay in the library for days on end, Lillian would sit there and read every book in the children’s book section. We usually check out about 20 or more books and when we get home she will sit and read EVERY single book. I am completely serious. She will NOT stop until she has read them ALL.
Next we went to eat at Lillian’s favorite restaurant, The Olive Garden. Honestly, I think she likes that restaurant so much because of the little chocolate mints you get at the end of the meal. I enjoy this more than I can put into words. For those of you who already do this with your child, you know what I mean. It is a tremendous bonding and connection opportunity for both parent and child. Here are some pictures of our yummy food!
As we were driving home I asked Lillian if we were done with our date or if she wanted to do something else. She said she wanted to go shopping for books! We were about 5 seconds from the turn in for Barnes & Noble so that’s where we headed next. She absolutely loves that place, too. Another that I think if we could stay there for days on end, she would read every book in the child’s section! We stayed for about an hour or so and Lillian proudly left with her 2 books.
We were walking to the car and Lillian said she wanted to go shopping for clothes and shoes. I was so tired that I talked her into saving that for our next date. After I convinced her to save that for next time, we drove home where she promptly took out the library books she had not read in the library and sat down to read them ALL.
If you don’t already have a regular scheduled date day for you and your child, I highly recommend you start this beautiful tradition with your kids. It doesn’t matter their age or what you choose to do. Just as long as you are doing something together – just the two of you! You will most definitely be on the road to discovering your child’s likes, dislikes, passions and strengths!