Yesterday, the whole world learned of the passing of Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Giana. We were all walking into an event as we heard the news, an event all about daddies and daughters. Day Lily Salon and Spa and Red Leg Brewing Company put together the first Braids and Brews event, a Daddy Daughter Date Day! It is exactly what it sounds like- hair and beer. As we all stood there watching these dads and their little princesses walk in, it really made you think about just how fragile life is and how impactful a dad’s influence can have on his daughters.

A bunch of dads jokingly mentioned hating that moment when they dropped their daughters off at school and hearing the dreaded “Oh, Daddy did your hair today.” It’s embarrassing to drop your kids off and them look a mess but dads tend to just let their daughter’s hair do whatever it wants because they have never been taught how to do a little girl’s hair. As moms, we know that is a NO-GO. Well for the dads we met yesterday they were ALL about making their daughter’s hair look great and to really learn how to style their little girl’s locks! A client at the salon, Day Lily Salon and Spa, had mentioned to Niki Cicak (co-owner of Day Lily) that if they were to ever have a class for dads she thought her husband would jump on it.  Well, he did as well as 30 other fathers who showed up to the first Braids and Brews event at our amazing local brewery, Red Leg Brewing. Todd Baldwin (owner of Red Leg Brewing Company) and Niki were thrilled with the turnout!  

While hashing out the ideas for the event, Niki got to thinking about the location and thought a salon may be too much for guys so why not go into an arena more familiar to a guy- what is more familiar than a brewery with awesome beer! That is where Red Leg stepped in. Red Leg has a great event space that they use for meetings and small events. Though they are in the process of having a new facility built and their hope is to host the next Braids and Brews in the new facility, hopefully in the fall. 

Some of the inspiration for this event came from the relationship between Niki, her sister Mary (also a stylist at Day Lily) and their dad. He was very involved in their lives when they were younger and actually did their hair too. He made sure to spend quality time with them, together and separately. Dads get a bad rap for not being there because they are providing for the family and this event brought to light that, dads crave that quality time too.  Dads are true heroes and providing for their families can take up a lot of their time, so spending time one on one with your kid is a HUGE thing and should be done as often as possible. There was not one dad that was not truly enjoying being there with his daughter and learning how to do their hair. The girls all were so fun with smiles on their faces and giggles everywhere! I found myself looking at these men thinking ” what lucky girls these little girls are to have someone willing to take the time to learn something that even some moms don’t like or aren’t good at (me included). The experience for dads and daughters to spend time together is great. Niki just hopes that it sparks up conversations and more one on one time while dads “practice” their skills at home. They just hope it fosters that relationship between them down the road.

Niki said to me “Unfortunately, we live in a world where a lot of dads aren’t present, but this event helped foster that relationship and that truly is what it was all about. It’s so important for girls to have that relationship with their dad and if we can do something small in the world to facilitate it then they will do it.”

I’m not gonna lie, I’m assuming the beer helped liven up the experience for the men, but the overall feel of their energies and demeanor was super happy and positive. It really was about quality time. The joy on both the faces of the dads and the little girls spoke volumes! 

It proves to you how much quality time really is what kids need. All the girls let their dads play with their hair for over an hour and they all loved it! There were even a few dads who let their daughters play with their hair- cutest thing ever!

I feel so honored to be a part of such a great community of people who love helping people and creating such amazing events for the Colorado Springs area. Thank you to Day Lily Salon and Spa and Red Leg for allowing me to capture such an inspiring event. 

If you want to know more about Day Lily Salon and Spa and Red Leg make sure to follow them on Facebook and check out their websites!

Day Lily Salon and Spa: https://daylilysalonandspa.com  FB: https://www.facebook.com/daylilysalonandspa/

Red Leg Brewing Company: https://redlegbrewing.com FB: https://www.facebook.com/redlegbrewco/

I’ll Be There For You,