Lunchbox is fully creeped out by father-daughter dances. As this time of year rolls around, his Facebook feed fills up with photos of dads in suits and daughters dressed up in fancy dresses, hugging and heading off to school-sponsored dances. Every time he sees it, he gets the same reaction, it feels weird, uncomfortable, and unnecessary.
From Lunchbox’s point of view, father-daughter dances are something society invented that doesn’t need to exist anymore. The images that bother him most are the ones showing dads slow dancing with their daughters. To him, it feels less like an innocent event and more like a date, which immediately gives him “the ick.” He admits he struggles to fully explain why it feels wrong, but the discomfort is instant and undeniable.
While others argue that it’s simply a dad spending quality time with his daughter, investing in her, showing her how she should be treated, Lunchbox doesn’t see it that way. He understands taking a daughter to dinner or spending one-on-one time together, but a formal dance feels different to him. He compares it to prom and says that’s where the line gets crossed. One thing that stands out to Lunchbox is that there’s no equivalent event for moms and sons. You don’t see moms getting dressed up and taking their sons to dances, which only reinforces how strange the whole concept feels to him. While father-daughter dances at weddings don’t bother him, since that’s usually just one song and the daughter is dressed up for her partner, school dances feel different. In those cases, the daughter is dressed up specifically for her dad, which makes him uncomfortable.
As the conversation continues, Lunchbox doubles down on his stance. He feels that the event has been normalized simply because it’s been happening for so long, not because it makes sense. Even when others point out that dads often just hang out while the kids dance, or that the music is typically slow and innocent, it doesn’t change how he feels. He’s never been to one, but the idea alone still doesn’t sit right with him.
The moment that truly triggered his reaction was a photo of a dad holding a candy heart that read, “I’m yours.” That, to Lunchbox, crossed into territory that felt undeniably weird. While others argue it’s symbolic and harmless, he believes wording like that blurs lines that shouldn’t be blurred. If the message is about being a parent, Eddie thinks it should say exactly that.In the end, Lunchbox acknowledges that many people see father-daughter dances as sweet and meaningful, but for him, the discomfort outweighs the sentiment.