March 29, 2014 at 9:02 p.m.
Fathers and daughters bond at YMCA dance
Fathers and daughters bond at YMCA dance
"It's our annual Father-Daughter Dance. This year's theme is Enchanted Forest," said Abbie Cline, YMCA school-age child care director. "Everyone is served dinner and then we have some games and dancing."
Unlike many events, the dance is not a fundraiser. Its only purpose is to give fathers and daughters an opportunity to spend a night out together, laughing, dancing and enjoying each other's company.
"We just want to give back to the community, to give the fathers and daughters an outstanding chance to spend time together," said Chris Cook, YMCA of the Northwoods wellness director. "It can be tough for dads and daughters to do things sometimes, to have an opportunity to spend some quality time together. The Y wants to give (fathers) the opportunity to spend some time with their daughters and have a night full of fun and good memories."
"It's a chance to create wonderful memories, memories that will last a lifetime," Cline added.
For the fathers and daughters in attendance, the opportunity to bond was not wasted.
"We try to get time together as much as we can - doing things on the weekends, evenings I don't have to work late, times like that. It can be tough though. Sometimes there's just not enough time in the day to do everything you want to do," said attendee Bill Mitchell. "This give us a chance to mark a specific day on the calendar to spend time together. She gets to get all dressed up - and I do, too, which I'll admit I like - and she gets to be a princess for an evening. It's something that's just for us. It's just the two of us tonight and that's something I'll cherish for the rest of my life."
One father, Tom Murdoch, takes it a step further.
"This is her day. We do this every year we can, but this is just the culmination of a day dedicated to her. I always clear this day on my calendar well in advance so I can focus solely on my daughter," he said.
"She loves it, of course, because it's all about her. We spend the day however she wants - shopping, eating what she wants to eat, playing what she wants to play - it's all about her. It's something I'm proud to be able to do as a parent, to dedicate a day to her. I hope she remembers this well into her adult years because I know I sure will. It won't be long until she's all grown up so I want to take advantage of all my chances to spend time with her."
Murdoch's daughter, Kelly, said it's definitely something she'll remember forever.
"I love it," she said. "He does whatever I want to do. We get dressed up, we play, we dance. I'll always remember it."
Marcus Nesemann may be reached at [email protected].
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