St. Valentine’s Day is the perfect day to cherish the ladies in our lives. This includes not only our wives, but also our daughters.

In our family, Daddy takes all the girls out on a date sometime during Valentine’s week and then takes the boys on a date on St. Patrick’s Day. Some years I take my two daughters together and other years (like this one) each get their own separate date.

It is a great opportunity not just to cherish our ladies, but also to model to my sons how a father loves his daughters.

Here is what we did this year:

Date with Winter: I cancelled her homeschooling for the day and we headed out to skate the full 7.8 km of the Rideau canal. We also decided to take public transportation. We enjoyed the skate, which included lunch with poutine and then dessert with a Beaver’s Tail. Then we went to head home. There is an old train track trail that runs by the property and goes by the bus stop. I figured we could walk it home as is it usually groomed from the ski-doos. Well, the first 1.5km of the 3km was not groomed and it was a slog through knee-high snow. Needless to say, we were both wiped at the end.

Date with Kate: Katie and I went on a snowmobile picnic. We took a trip around the property, got stuck, became unstuck and found a spot in the forest to set up our picnic.

We had doughnuts and hot chocolate and read books together. It was a lovely time together.

Date with Mom: We garnered two hours whilst the baby slept and rushed off to an Italian/Irish/Monk pub called PubItalia. We enjoyed Trappist beer, muscles and conversation. She received flowers (of course), a small gift, and a card with coupons that allowed her to extend Valentines a few extra days (such as: make supper for you, foot massage and so forth).

The point of all this? To model to our boys that women, the greatest of God’s good creation, are to be cherished and honoured and loved. And of course, to express my own love as a father and husband.

Blessed St. Valentine’s!