Life
"Princess Peach Dad" Pens An Important Open Letter
Recently, a photo went viral of an awesome dad who dressed up as Princess Peach for his Mario-loving daughter. Although many praised his choice to buck gender norms and have fun with his kid, others were more critical. In a Reddit post, the Princess-Peach-dad wrote a powerful letter to haters about why he doesn’t let gender conventions get in the way of being a good parent — and it’s advice that all parents would be wise to follow.
On Sunday Dallas-based Redditor John, who goes by “thejohnblog,” recounted his brief experience with viral fame: A while back, he attended a comic con with his daughter. While she sported a kickass Mario costume (complete with a beautiful, voluminous mustache), he went as Princess Peach, pink dress and all. A photo of them in costume caught fire online, and though many people loved his gender-bending costume, others disapproved (because of course). John wrote, “I […] have heard ‘That's brave.’ or my favorite ‘The bible says you should not dress as a woman.’” He pointed particularly to an article that said in regard to his costume, “[D]ads sometimes don't have much say over their Halloween outfits and end up getting the raw end of the deal when it comes to father-daughter double acts.” What this dad wants to make clear, however, is that, for him, dressing up with his daughter is the farthest thing from “the raw end of the deal.”
In his letter, John explains that parents have a choice: When your kid wants to play with you and spend time with you, “[y]ou can cling to your masculinity or own hobbies and say, ‘No sweetie, I won't play dollies with you, maybe mom will do that,’ or ‘The game is on honey, go play in your room...’ or you can do the little work.”
John points out that, as a dad, he has a duty, not only to discipline and guide his daughter, but also to foster joy. He writes,
I need to remind her that there is fun to be had in our activities together and that any creative projects or ideas she has [have] the same importance as anything I have planned. Sometimes that means I get to wear the Princess outfit. Even if it means snickering from my coworkers, nasty comments from insecure men, religious bible thumpers, or homophobes.
Umm… this is me right now:
John concludes,
My job as a parent is hard. It's the hardest one I have ever had. But making your kids happy is not hard. I'll put on a dress, I'll hear my knees pop when I stoop for a tea party, I'll sing along to a pop song I wouldn't listen to on my own in a million years.
And he has a message for narrow-minded critics: "If anyone else wants to call me a sissy, or worse, then I'll blow you a kiss in my pretty dress, and keep YOUR poor kids in my thoughts."
BOOM.
