Mother and daughter dates are a great way to build and maintain a good relationship. While every mother constantly reminds their daughter that they love them, sometimes you can unpretentiously disconnect with your daughter without realizing it. This can be as a result of a busy schedule, long work week and routine daily activities which tend to drain most of what’s left of our energy.
It is imperative to set aside time for your daughter. It can be only once a month or if you are able to create more time, you can make it a weekly girls time. This will not only benefit in forming a good relationship between the two of you, it will also be supportive in building the confidence of your daughter. The venue for these mother and daughter dates can vary from staying at home, visiting fun places to outdoor activities.
If you decide to stay at home, here are some cool ideas you can do together;
Start a Mother-Daughter Journal
A journal is a daily record of experiences, observations and occurrences. A journal helps you to build an open line of communication between each other and also be methodical in spending time with your daughter. You can fill out this journal whenever you have time and exchange it daily. There are plenty of premade mother and daughter journals which include pages filled with colouring pages, themes, questions, and interests to share.
If you’d prefer, start with a blank notebook and create your own pages. Make if fun by providing a variety of colourful pens, markers, stickers, whatever you can find to brighten up the pages. When you go out on dates, attend events or do anything outdoors, take pictures and attach them on the pages of the journal. Note down every activity that you did or would like to do together and how these activities made you feel. You can always go through your journal over a cup of juice, reminisce the moments and laugh about them.
Bake
What is your daughter’s favourite baking recipe? Is it cake, pizza, brownies or cookies? Select your daughter’s favourite recipe and bake together. While at it, allow your daughter to be more involved and you can guide her through the baking process. As she measures the ingredients, you can whisk them together and put them in the oven. Strike a conversation with her. Get to know what she likes, what she doesn’t like, what she does with her friends, her plans and aspirations.
You will experience your daughter slowly letting you into her inner world. Baking together encourages a lot of interaction and bonding to create a final product you can enjoy together. Your daughter will be excited that she can bake her favourite pastry and appreciate spent quality time together.
Camp in the Backyard
Camping is another fun way to bond with your daughter. I know what you’re thinking, isn’t that a man thing? But as mothers we also have to encourage our daughter to disconnect from electronics and reconnect with nature. Remember the nights we laid in the grass just staring at the stars, or timeless moments we spent searching for four leave clovers in a field of weeds? Moments like these are essential to your daughters development. Try setting up a tent with your daughter, fill it with sleeping bags, pillows, stuff animals, books, and games. Then you can build a bonfire and cook outside using the bare minimal. Set a rule that ensure that no one uses their electronic devices and use the time to talk to each other. You can conclude the night by playing games, making smores or watching the stars and sharing your favourite memories or stories of your own childhood.
Spa Time
We often wonder at what age do girls start wearing make-up. Young girls often try out their mothers’ make-up and various facial regimen when playing dress up. One day, in the middle of watching tv, your daughter runs out to the middle of the living room covered in all shades of make-up on her face, smiling and posing just like mom does.
Maybe you don’t even notice she sneaks your lip glosses or eyeshadows back to her bathroom and replaces them just in time until the whole container is empty. Either way teaching your daughter how to use these beauty regimens properly is also essential.
Creating a spa time with your daughter will not only be relaxing for the both of you, it will also leave you feeling rejuvenated. Whether visiting a spa/nail salon or staying at home and creating your own spa, ask your daughter to help select the products that the two of you will use. Use this time to educate her on the elements that nourish the skin, body, and mind. If you choose to stay at home set the mood by lighting candles, preparing fun desserts and drinks, pull out your favourite robes and turn on your favourite music. Instead of purchasing premade products such as shampoo, masks and scrubs, opt to DIY some effective ones. Spend this time pampering one another with as least distractions as possible.
Cook Meals
It will be extra fun to try out new and old recipes with your daughter. For instance, if your daughter loves Grandmas spaghetti, you can retrieve the recipe and the special ingredients and replicate the meal. If you are anything like me, then you would probably solicit the help of YouTube tutorials or look up classes that show the process of preparing and cooking. Together, follow the prompts and prepare your meal allowing your daughter to do most of the tasks. Even if neither of you is good in the kitchen and end up burning everything, it is the thought that counts. Besides, if the cooking does not turn out like you wanted, you can always order take out and try it again tomorrow.
Make DIY Crafts Together
We all love beautiful homes with well-done DIY interior, carefully chosen colours and portraits of family pictures placed in just the right spots. Make a list of the things you want to do in your home, whether its spring cleaning or redecorating for the next season or holiday and ask for your daughters opinions. It can be interior or the exterior of the house. Perhaps you wish to re-do the lawn or plant a new flower garden.
Choose certain days of the week to set aside for the work to be done and everyone will be present. As you continue to bond, your daughter will also pick up on your personal style and by allowing her input she will feel more nurtured and loved within the home.
Decorate Your Home
The first idea I come up with when brainstorming DIY fun crafts for girls are bracelets and necklaces. You remember when we spent hours learning how to braid and bead friendship bracelets to exchange?
You can visit your local Michaels or any craft store and spend time choosing pieces that match your style or a certain outfit you plan on wearing. You can also pick out a pre-made jewellery kit with colourful beads and strings and create away.
Another DIY idea includes making ribbon or flower headbands for your daughter using her favourite colours or a colour that matches her favourite dress. You can purchase a simple headband and add bows, trinkets, or whatever your daughter chooses.
One of my favourite DIY projects is tie die. You can tie die just about anything. But, don’t stop there, add cool iron-on’s, letters and words, fabric paints and glam it up with some glitter. Fairy wands, dream catchers, flower pots, card making, pumpkin carving, or decorating a tree for the holidays are all qualified DIY activities you and your daughter can enjoy together. Can you think of more? The most important aspect is to make sure you are not doing all the work, instead instruct and watch what you daughter creates.
Go Through Family Albums
Take time every once in a while to go through the family album. Start at the earliest pictures you have, before her birth and describe what life was like before her existence. One thing that you will find for sure are old pictures that your daughter knows nothing about.
As you tell her about the individuals in the photographs, it will evoke memories and funny stories you can share and laugh together. Alternatively, you can organize them into a scrapbook or photobook. This will be a good way to preserve and arrange personal and family history.
Watch Old Videos and Movies
If you recorded videos and movies of your children as they grew up, now would be a good time to whip them out and take a long trip down the memory lane. A discussion about how each child has grown and changed over time will evolve. Your daughter may also tell you experiences about yourself that she remembers from the videos.
Spending time with your daughter is a tangible representation of the love that you have for her. It will also create an invaluable store of memories that the two of you will look back on fondly in years to come. As she grows up, she will be grateful of the time you spent practicing mother and daughter dates.
By: Teresa Nderi
Reviewed By: Tiffany