Viral Cheerleading Dad Sets Example for All Parents: Get Psyched About Your Kids' Hobbies
When our kids are little, we all have things we hope they get into as they grow older. Whether it's certain fandoms or our favorite sport, hobbies we enjoy or the music we love, all parents hope their particular faves rub off on their kids. Sometimes they do and we can share something we love and know our kids love it as well. But sometimes they don't. Sometimes our kids choose interests that are entirely out of our wheelhouse and that's OK. They don't have to love all the same things we grew up loving but it's important that we support them either way.
A recent Facebook post shows us a dad doing just that. The video, posted by Scott Willard, shows a grown man performing cheerleading moves in the stands at what appears to be a high school football game. It's a little puzzling at first until the cheerleading squad moves into the frame and we realize he's mimicking their movements.
Because his daughter is down there on the field.
This hero dad is in the stands actively supporting and showing his love for his daughter. Chances are, he wasn't a cheerleader in high school. Chances are he never did a cheer or a chant or a dance routine on a football field as a teen. But here he is, showing his daughter he supports her.
And it's amazing.
It's easy for parents to dismiss their kid's interests if it's not something they're also interested in. If your kid is into robots but the only robot you know is Bender from Futurama, or your kid loves ballet but you don't know a pirouette from plié, you may not feel able to connect. But (and there's always a but when it comes to parenting) like the cheer dad, you don't have to be a robotics whiz to show an interest in your kid's robot obsession or be a former dancer to be into your kid's ballet. It's not hard to move outside your comfort zone (and beyond the gender stereotypes) to support your kid's interests.
Watch some ballet videos on Youtube with your child. Go to a robotics class or a science and engineering museum. Kids model their parents' behavior and attitudes, so if a cheerleading dad helps his daughter move beyond the idea that cheerleading is only for girls or a robot-loving mom helps kids understand that girls do science, then we're all in for a better world in the long run. And, bonus, you get to spend time bonding with your kid over something they love. Win-win!
