As Father’s Day approaches on June 19, we asked Drew Bennett, social media maven and new Barefoot Books Ambassador (one of quite a number of dads in the community!) to share a story about his idea of a perfect family day. We first met Drew at a party we hosted for the Boston Parent Bloggers group last winter at our Studio in Concord, Mass., and thus began a wonderful friendship. Read on to learn more about Drew, his family, and his life as a Dad. You can also find some fun videos of his daughter at storytime, along with some gorgeous photos here.

I was asked to write some musings from a Dad on the upcoming Father’s Day. I’m a dad to a precious little 3 ½ year old daughter named Eva and have another child on the way. My daughter and I want to be surprised but my wife, Allison, wants to know. For now, my camp has the votes but we shall see in the months to come. I was asked to reflect on these couple of similar questions. What would my perfect Father’s Day be?  What would my dream day with my family be all about?

For me almost every major holiday has an aspect of food to it. Since Father’s Day is a Sunday I tend to think of breakfast as the major meal on that day, although dinner is a close second. So, if we are talking breakfast then there is no better place in my mind than a local restaurant called SweetWorks. It doubles as a ice cream parlor and bakery, so on a perfect Father’s day we’d be back for ice cream later in the day. I love going for breakfast with my family, we enjoy spending time together being silly and sharing delicious food.

I’m also an avid flatwater kayaker. This is a sport that I have enjoyed for years and luckily my wife and daughter both enjoy kayaking as well. So I’d certainly be up for a family kayaking trip in the early morning or late afternoon.

We’re also a family that enjoys reading together. I’d think that would be obvious since I’m writing for the Barefoot Books Blog. I was the first to learn of Barefoot Books and I brought Allison and Eva to the studio in Concord, Massachusetts, and they fell in love too. We became a family of Ambassadors and enjoy reviewing all the books to help us connect the right people with the right book for them. I’d love to have some time on my perfect Father’s Day to be outside in the sunshine, maybe under a big leafy tree on a picnic blanket taking turns reading stories to Eva.

If we were talking sky’s the limit sort of perfect day here’s how it’d go. We’d be on a family cruise, probably a Disney ship or something. We’d start with a great breakfast and time at the pool. We’d go off ship and kayak in the gentle crystal blue waters of some Caribbean destination. After our kayaking we’d have a nice picnic lunch and read stories together. We’d take a nice long nap in hammocks and wake up to a fun BBQ dinner. We’d tuck Eva into bed and read her a few more stories, say prayers and kiss her good night. That would be the perfect Father’s Day.

However, I work weekend nights and I won’t be conscious most of Father’s Day. No Caribbean adventure or kayaking. I’ll be very happy however to have a family breakfast at SweetWorks after church, a nice long nap the rest of the day and then dinner before I head off to work. Hopefully I’ll have time to sneak in a book or two to read to Eva before I head for work.

Dads, what is your idea of the perfect Father’s Day? Moms and Mums, what are you doing that’s special for the dads in your life?

Tags: books, exercise, family, fun, parenting, stories