A hero can be lots of things. There are, of course, the fictitious ones that grace the pages of comic books and movie screens. There are those who formally take a heroic role in our society as a career, such as firefighters. There are those who achieve a platform and use it for influence, such as Jackie Robinson.
So where does that leave the rest of us? It was Robinson who said “a life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” It seems he was talking about all of us, not just those who have formal titles and roles tied to their careers. He’s not around to ask, but I don’t believe Jackie meant everyone had to be worldly in their impact. Just one other person would be enough.
As men, we don’t all have to have huge muscles and fight bad guys or bring people out of burning buildings to be a hero. We don’t have to be rich or powerful and have expensive things either. Modern masculinity goes much deeper than that. In his legendary hip hop anthem to fatherhood “Be a Father to Your Child,” emcee Edo.G captured the essence of being an involved dad in saying “it’s not about the presents, it’s your presence in the essence of being there, and showing the baby that you care.”
So that’s what it’s about: caring. Being there. And, in doing so, making life better. The folks at Dove Men+Care get it. They understand modern masculinity. It’s why we partner with them over and over again. Their new ad campaign is just the latest evidence of this. See for yourself:
And with that, we’d like to highlight a few of our members, who we asked what their “dad super power” is.
This is Larry. His Dad Super Power? Premonition. Being able to predict what might happen before it does and acting accordingly.
Shane’s Dad Super Power is being active. He knows this will make him stronger as a parent, and when his son is older, their hikes will be bonding time.
Here’s Austin, whose Dad Super Power is the ability to dress the squirmiest of children. It’s a needed skill with a little one.
Tsafrir’s Dad Super Power is photography. Being able to capture his kids in exactly the right moments. Unfortunately he couldn’t take this picture of him and his son himself, or else it would have come out better.
We should have put an average sized person next to Anton for scale so that it would be easier to see that he measures up at well over 6 feet. His Dad Super Power is strength, in all senses of the word. He’s stronger because he cares.
This post was sponsored by Dove Men+Care as part of a collaborative campaign with City Dads Group. Dallas Dads Group received compensation for our participation via a free event Dove Men+Care sponsored for our members. The Content of this post authentically represents those men who chose to participate, and our overall feelings about fatherhood.
Excellent post guys! Love the wide range of Supoer Powers exemplified by the members of your group!