BY KAREN BOSSICK
It’s just plain fun. And it’s free. But the third annual Father-Daughter Dance coming up at the Wood River YMCA is more than that, say its organizers.
It’s a great tool for bringing up a daughter with self-esteem and greater overall life satisfaction.
“The dance, as well as a number of other local programs in which fathers and daughters can take part together, are great opportunities for father-daughter bonding,” said Cindy Mascheroni, executive coach with the Y.
“Studies have shown that girls who have a positive relationship with their fathers achieve more academically, make better relationship choices and have more confidence and self-esteem,” added Eileen Hansen, who serves with Mascheroni on the Y Communications Committee.
The free YMCA’s Father-Daughter Dance will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, at the Wood River YMCA in Ketchum.
Organizers hope to get more than 80 dads and daughters to dress up and dance the night away to music by DJ Sam Parker. There also will be raffles, professional photo ops, snacks and treats.
The father-daughter relationships can be very powerful when the daughter’s needs for connection and attachment are met consistently over the course of her development, said Lisa Day, a licensed clinical psychologist who has worked with adolescents in inpatient and outpatient settings.
Daughters need regular nurturing—attention and affection—from infancy through adulthood, Day said. They all need a sense of safety and security, admiration, appreciation, respect, a sense of belonging and a sense of mattering, as well.
“When these needs are addressed throughout a young woman’s development, she has a greater likelihood of developing a strong sense of self, greater self-esteem,” Day said. “She reports greater overall life satisfaction and develops healthy interpersonal dependency with others.”
Scout Shearer, daughter of Y CEO Jason Shearer, started the dance as her Wood River High School senior project shortly after she and her family moved to the area. She had participated in such dances before and was amazed that the there was nothing like that in the Wood River Valley.
While the dance is free, space is limited. RSVP at 208-727-9622.
OTHER OPPORTUNITIES FOR FATHERS AND DAUGHTERS TO BOND:
The Sun Valley Museum of Art offers free Family Days on weekends in which families can create art and participate in games and other hands-on activities.
It also offers free Afternoon Art programs for children kids ages 5 through 12, in which families are invited to view the current exhibition and explore the museum’s Makers Space. One will be held at 2:30 p.m. today—Friday, Feb. 7. It also offers a free Look, Play, Create class for kids ages 1-5 and their families, the next one at 10a.m. Thursday, Feb. 13.
The Community Library offers such cerebral activities as Science Time with Ann Christensen on Tuesday mornings and Legos in the Library.
And the YMCA offers such sports activities as family climbing programs.