Welcome to The Pixel Project’s “30 For 30″ Father’s Day Campaign 2015! In honour of Father’s Day, we created this campaign:
- To acknowledge the vital role Dads play in families, cultures and communities worldwide.
- To showcase good men from different walks of life who are fabulous positive non-violent male role models.
Through this campaign, we will be publishing a short interview with a different Dad on each day of the month of June.
This campaign is also part of a programme of initiatives held throughout 2015 in support of the Celebrity Male Role Model Pixel Reveal campaign that is in benefit of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and The Pixel Project. Donate at just US$1 per pixel to reveal the mystery Celebrity Male Role Models and help raise US$1 million for the cause while raising awareness about the important role men and boys play in ending violence against women in their communities worldwide. Donations begin at just US$10 and you can donate via the Pixel Reveal website here or the Pixel Reveal Razoo donation page here.
Our thirteenth “30 For 30″ 2015 Dad is Mike Reynolds from Canada.
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The Dad Bio
I’m an Ottawa born-and-raised husband and father of two who’s mildly obsessed with making sure my daughters never learn to colour inside the lines and with making sure they know they’re both one-of-a-kind. I’m always learning and always writing about the experiences I go through as a parent and about how eye-opening it is to watch a child grow up in this world. I also write bedtime stories with my daughters and share stories about the trials and tribulations of raising two girls after growing up in a house full of boys at puzzlingposts.com.
1. What is the best thing about being a dad?
Watching how easy it is for your children to make an impact on the world, from little things like picking up litter outside their school because they “don’t want to hurt the earth,” to them going to talk to a crying friend who’s nervous about being at school. It’s amazing to see the things they create, to see them learn new things, to have them read to you for the first time. Watching your own child grow is an invaluable gift.
I’m also an incredibly big fan of snuggles. I’ll always welcome snuggles no matter what time of day.
2. A dad is usually the first male role model in a person’s life and fathers do have a significant impact on their sons’ attitude towards women and girls. How has your father influenced the way you see and treat women and girls?
The biggest thing my dad taught me was to do what was right even if doing what was right wasn’t the most advantageous to me. He’s the kind of man who would tell a cashier if they forgot to charge him for a bag of chocolates. He also taught me that being a parent isn’t always easy. That there are early hockey practices to drive to, that there will be wounds to get stitched up, and that you’ll play the villain many times when raising a child, and that that’s not a bad thing.
3. Communities and activists worldwide are starting to recognise that violence against women is not a “women’s issue” but a human rights issue and that men play a role in stopping the violence. How do you think fathers and other male role models can help get young men and boys to take an interest in and step up to help prevent and stop violence against women?
I think there are hundreds or thousands, probably millions of ways, but a key one is simply treating women like humans. It’s so damn simple. Do this all the time and challenge yourself to not only be respectful but to call out people who aren’t, even if it means being the “party pooper” who calls out misogynistic jokes at the bar. It will be uncomfortable to do the first few times as your buddies tell you it was just a joke and to lighten up, but these simply aren’t subjects to joke about and sexism isn’t something to lighten up about.
There are microagressions everywhere, and you’ll discover yourself using quite a few of them, like I have. Don’t defend your use of them – get rid of them altogether. Don’t get upset when a women tells you they’re uncomfortable with something you’ve said. Listen to them, believe them and learn from it. Telling children that everyone is equal isn’t enough. Treat people that way when kids are around and when they aren’t.
It’s also important that you don’t reinforce archaic gender stereotypes. Moms and dads both clean. Moms and dads both cook. Moms and dads both read bedtime stories. Be active in every aspect of your child’s life.