Daddy Destination

One Saturday morning while I was in middle school, my dad called all of us children together and asked a question:
“Would you like to go to Eisenhower Park, or my park today?”
“Dad, what’s your park?” we all asked.
“You’ll find out if you choose it,” he replied.
Orange County, California had a system of large regional parks. Eisenhower Park was one of the large parks in the system. It had a creek running through it that ended in a lake. Eisenhower Park was a great place to spend a Saturday.
The same question was asked of each child, in the order of age. Each of us weighed the merits of Eisenhower Park vs. an unknown park of my father’s choice.
That was the inspiration for something our family does called “Daddy Destinations”. A surprise trip of any kind. It might be to the ice cream shop. Or to the park, or maybe the zoo.
We bundle the children up into the car and announce that we are going to a “Daddy Destination”. Excitement ensues. It’s always somewhere fun for the whole family.
I’ll never forget that Saturday morning. After careful consideration, each of us selected the Daddy Destination.
It was Disneyland.