If you want to create lifelong bonds with your daughter, you’ll want to create positive memories together. Find fun excuses to keep being your daughter’s hero and best friend. Make it a regular event to take your girls out on a mother-daughter date.
Believe it or not, your kids (girls and boys) want to spend time with you. They just don’t think you’re that into them anymore. Are you? Its a delicate balance of giving them increasing independence and letting them know you actually do want to hang out together.
If you two have had a rough go of it recently, take a step back and think about how to approach them on this idea of spending more than 5 minutes tolerating each other. But do try to think of fun things you may enjoy together, and plan up a couple of mother-daughter date ideas to suggest.
Think back to what it was like to date, what made up a memorable, fun, and exciting date. Then summon up the courage to ask your sweet child (whom you do love, remember?) to spend a day/night out with you. Then ask. Try her – she might surprise you.
The next hardest part is finding a time you both are free. Each family is different with the cray-cray schedules and commitments. But DO THIS. A Mother-Daughter Date is worth it. Life altering worth it.
So here we go, the hard part is over. These are seven easy mother-daughter date ideas. These ideas would work just as well for mother-son and daddy-daughter bonding time too. Get your FREE Mother-Daughter Date Ideas Printable in our FREE Resource Library.
Let’s lay down some date rules:
On your Mother-Daughter Date:
- No Mobile Devices allowed.
- Phones are only on hand for emergency contact only.
- Put the device on “Do not disturb” mode.
- By the way, that goes for both of you.
- Exception: smartphones may be used for taking selfies of your date together.
Mother-Daughter Date Ideas #1: Movies
Whether you rent a movie and stay in munching on homemade popcorn and bags of chips and grapes or whether you have a night out on the town and head to the movie theater, your kid might love movies and would really like to see one with you.
Just make sure there are not too many romantic scenes as that gets awkward fast. Unless you’re at home, then you can shout “Close your eyes! Close your eyes!” at the top of your lungs to diffuse the tension. HA!
Winners for us are sci-fi, superhero (Marvel Comics anyone?) and pretty much anything that isn’t too raunchy. Or nightmare-producing, and that is more for my sake than hers!
Mother-Daughter Date Ideas #2: Take your girl out for Lunch, Dinner or Just for Desserts
Yummy food, shared in good company, that you don’t have to prepare or clean up after. Enough said!
Mother-Daughter Date Ideas #3: Go for a walk or drive and talk about things that interest them.
This may take a lot of practice initially, especially if either of you is introverted. But eventually, the conversations will begin to unfold, especially when she realizes that you don’t entirely judge her every thought, interest, or idea.
Mother-Daughter Date Ideas #4: Go do something Active you both will enjoy.
Active Mother-Daughter Date Ideas:
- Bowling
- Kayaking
- Hiking
- Rock climbing
- Biking
- Ping Pong
- Billiards
- Tennis
Mother-Daughter Date Ideas #5: Go see a ball game or sporting event of some kind.
Preferably something your kid likes, or you could see her getting into once she experiences it live. It can be anything from Little League to High School, College, Minors, Pros. It does not matter. What matters is you are together and can chat or take in the spectacle, with fun.
Remember you are going for experiences, it is not about how much money you can spend. Dads, if you are reading, this is especially important to understand. Come at this with very low expectations and no one’s feelings will get hurt.
Mother-Daughter Date Ideas #6: The Arts: Theater, Concert, Art Museum, Gallery, Ballet, etc.
What a beautiful memory you will create on a special mother-daughter date to the symphony if your daughter is studying the cello. Or taking her to Swan Lake if she is into ballet. Or to the Museum of Fine Arts if she is into painting.
You see where I am going with this. Draw inspiration from her interests and surprise her with a special date to celebrate and expose her to the arts in a more grown-up way. She will love that time with you.
Mother-Daughter Date Ideas #7: Do Something Creative Together.
Try heading to a painting studio, a wooden board workshop, or a pottery studio. If your daughter is into art, she would probably love creating something cool with you.
You don’t have to have wine with your paint, by the way. I don’t think it’s a requirement to expressing yourself creatively, so don’t worry.
Just go with the flow of your artistic side, it might just be bursting to shine through.
Bonus Mother-Daughter Date Ideas: An overnight mini getaway.
One of the favorite surprise treats we gave our pre-teen/teenagers was to steal them away for an overnight trip to their favorite amusement park while my mom enjoyed the 2 days away with our 12-month-old son.
The girls felt free to truly enjoy us as parents and individuals again for the first time since their little brother was born. And my husband and I enjoyed the getaway almost as much, as we didn’t have to take turns watching the baby while the other hopped on a roller coaster with our teens.
We enjoyed frolicking in the hotel pool and ate out without trying to hush a baby, and prevent him from grabbing everything off the table. It was a restorative experience for each and every one of us.
The bonds we reinforced on that simple trip only two hours away from home cannot be overstated. Give that a try without guilt of any kind.
See our posts about Fun Family Vacation with Teens and Not your Tot and How to Enjoy Authentic Mother-Daughter Bonding Time.
Get your Date on the Calendar
Take out your calendar, think about each child and pick a day to take your teen on a date. You plan one date, and let her plan the next date, and so on. Make this mother-daughter date thing into a monthly treat at least. And plan one for your spouse while you’re at it.
Before long, it will be the one date on the calendar you both will eagerly anticipate!
Cheers to happy days together,
P.S. Pick up the Free Mother-Daughter Date Night Ideas Printable in our Free Resource Library. Get access to our Free Resource Library below.
Chandra is the chocolate-chip loving mother of 2 teenage girls who started over again with a baby boy in her 40’s! She is the author of The Mom’s Playbook to Conquering Softball Season. She gives other moms the tools they need to prepare their daughters for real life. Her content is centered on helping girls grow up to be well-rounded, equipped, expressive, confident, intelligent, capable, kind and independent.
