What It Will Take To Date My Daughters

First of all: this is not a joke. I am dead serious.

Eleanor is now beginning to run and babble and ask questions and it has come with the crushing realization that I will not be able to stop her or her little sister from growing up. And with that growing up comes the disturbing fact that one day they are both going to want to date. Some boy is going to come to my door and ask to take my daughter out to dinner and a movie. I am not amused. I have determined to hold it off as long as I can, but I suspect their mother is going to be on their side and it will be one more argument the women in my house win.

So, I am going to create a book list that any boy wanting to date one of my daughters must begin to tackle. Yes. You read that right. Anyone dating my daughters will be well read or they won't be dating my daughters. I won't have some inarticulate ruffian escorting my little ones anywhere unless they are willing to engage their mind and not just their hormones.

Not only do they have to read the books, but they must sit down with me once a month to discuss what they are reading and how it is shaping their views on life - especially how it is shaping their respect for fatherhood.

This is what the list would look like today. There would be a history section with the following books included:
- "Parting The Waters" by Taylor Branch (yes, all 900 pages of this civil right movement biography)
- "The End of Poverty" by Jeffery Sachs
- "Ending Slavery" by Kevin Bales
- "Not For Sale" by David Batstone
- "A Problem From Hell" by Samantha Power
- "Not On Our Watch" by Don Cheadle and John Prendergast
- "A Call To Conscience" by Martin Luther King, Jr.
- "Stones Into Schools" by Gregg Mortensen
- "The Post-American World" by Fareed Zakaria

And there would be a religion section:
- "A Generous Orthodoxy" by Brian D. McLaren
- "A New Kind of Christianity" by Brian D. McLaren
- "The Poor Will Be Glad" By Peter Greer and Phil Smith
- "Its All About God" by Samir Selmanovic

The point is to scare the little suckers away. But if that doesn't work, I at least will know they have the ability to process ideas and concepts more diverse and complicated than which Axe body spray to wear to the mall.

I am sure I missed some good ones. This list will always be a work in progress.

I am also toying with the idea of creating a movie list they must watch with me and then discuss with me (Gandhi and Schindler's LIst come to mind). And possibly a few field trips.

I can't stop them from dating, but the boys they date will have to meet my standards for reading. This is a bare minimum.