IT MIGHT have seemed an awkward idea – fathers taking their teenage daughters out for a date on Valentine’s Day.

But any signs of discomfort vanished when A Date with Dad kicked into full swing at East Coast Park last Saturday afternoon.

The event, organised by pro-family organisation Focus On The Family, was first reported by my paper last week on Feb 10, and it drew mixed reactions.

Some parents were enthusiastic about the event, while others were uncomfortable with the idea of fathers and daughters going on dates.

However, when my paper turned up at the event, there were tender moments aplenty as father-daughter pairs took strolls along the beach and wrote letters to each other across petal-scattered tables.

Tears were shed as visibly- touched fathers and daughters read the handwritten notes.

One of them, Mr Keith Leong, publicly declared his love for his 15-year-old daughter, Esther, in front of the 70-strong crowd.

The 45-year-old sales director said he took a week to compose his first song, which he performed for her that evening.

A beaming Esther said she was touched because he showed “how important I am to him”.

Another happy father, manager John Chua, 48, said what his 18-year-old daughter, Joanne, wrote to him made him realise that being a parent was a worthwhile effort, with its own rewards.

Parents and daughters said the highlight was the gift of purity rings to their daughters.

Mr Chua said: “It was a good chance for us to talk about the potentially awkward topic of keeping one’s virginity for marriage.”

Managing director Kenneth Siew, 50, hopes the event will leave lasting memories for his 17-year-old daughter, Alysson.

“I hope this date will be something she will remember when she goes out with her first boyfriend – that she is precious and worth treasuring,” he said.

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