What we should learn from the Super Bowl Halftime Show as parents (& as a society)
& what we should teach our kids? #PARENTINGTIPS
Given that we are only 4 days away from Valentine’s Day I was going to publish a V-Day themed blog post today, but this topic has been on my mind for over a week now. Disgusted with all the negative comments I read all along I just had to share my opinion on the Super Bowl Halftime Show controversy!
And you know what, in the spirit of Galentine’s Day who better to talk about than these two powerful women (JLo & Shakira) who represent everything women should be, with themselves and with one another…
Speaking of Valentine’s Day, their performance at the Super Bowl Halftime Show was a classic example of LOVING yourself and being proud of who you are!
Hats off to their dedication and hard work, it is so dang inspiring and motivating to see women from different backgrounds and cultures who are also mothers so effortlessly do what they did!
The controversy surrounding the Super Bowl Halftime Show certainly made me understand (even more) the kind of parent that I am, and made it even more clear to me how Vinay and I should continue to raise our baby boy!
As a boy mom, I think that it is my #1 responsibility and it is way more important to me to teach my son how he should treat/respect a woman no matter how she dresses than to teach our daughters how she should or should not dress!
If we as a society focus on the former then there will be no need for the latter!
But generations after generations (after generations) our society has been so focused on laying the ground rules and boundaries for women that even in this day and age (especially in this day and age) the conversations still revolve around what a woman wears and how she behaves rather than fully embracing and appreciating how far she has come, what she is achieving, and how much more she is capable of!
To me, the Super Bowl Halftime Show was such a great opportunity to flip the conversation around and teach our kids some very valuable life lessons…
Image: Pepsi
Seriously though, how is it that our kids are old enough that they shouldn’t watch such a show (and you as a parent are not comfortable watching it with them) but when it comes to talking to them and explaining to them why it was an outstanding show from all aspects then suddenly they are not at an age where they are mature enough to understand what it is that we are trying to teach here?
Maybe my little boy is too little that I didn’t think twice or cringe even for a second (I was too busy being awe-struck and applauding these two incredibly powerful women and what a fierce example they are!!!) as we watched the performance with our little guy right next to us.
But would my reaction be any different if he was even just a few years older? Methinks not!
I am constantly making mental notes of all these teaching opportunities.
IMHO it is #nevertooearly to have these conversations with our kids, we need to start teaching them young, just as how we introduce them to a million different topics under the sun (even when they are too young for most of these topics) and try our very best to explain it to them!
Not that our kids always comprehend everything we teach them at all times, but we still try and do it anyway, as we should! The more we talk/teach/explain the more they will grow to understand!
Cuz, in all honesty, these shows and performances teach our little ones very little, but you know who teaches them the real deal?
It’s us (parents) and our reactions towards a show like the Super Bowl Halftime Show are what teach our kids anything of importance!
After watching such a performance the kids won’t go around behaving like JLo or Shakira, but you know what they will do? They will go around criticizing women if they saw us parents criticize JLo and Shakira’s clothes and their ‘questionable and inappropriate’ moves as we watch the Super Bowl Halftime Show.
And when they see us parents cringe at such performances is when they learn that something is up with content like this, which is what will have a lasting impact on them than the show itself!
At the end of the day, it is ‘sexual and objectifying’ only if we make it seem so…
Image: Washington Post
WHAT THE SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW REALLY TAUGHT US PARENTS (THE SOCIETY) AND OUR KIDS?
JLo and Shakira owned the stage, every inch of it! Totally slayed while also sending some strong and empowering messages (for those who cared to see beyond their clothes, dance moves, props, and camera angles)…
Age is just a number in its truest sense! Damn, look at these two incredibly powerful and sexy (nope, sexy is not a bad thing!) women at age 50 and 43, how fit and strong they are! Their stamina is #LIFEGOALS #HEALTHGOALS #FITNESSGOALS
Being a woman and more importantly, being proud of being a woman!
Being confident, being proud of ourselves, our bodies, and 100% owning what we are and what we do!
Celebrating other women and sharing the stage with each other!
Celebrating our backgrounds, our cultures, and our roots!
Embracing how different we all are and that we each express ourselves differently through our craft!
You can do anything you want to as long as you are willing to work hard for it and give it your all!
Setting such great examples for our kids!
P.S. Seeing JLo and Shakira’s high-energy performance and how they set the whole stage on fire, at this age (which BTW still gives me the chills), has made me seriously think about and work on upping (by several folds) my own fitness game (among several other things)!
So yes, the Super Bowl Halftime Show was not only a great teaching opportunity but also a great learning opportunity for us as parents and as a society as well!
Remember that no matter what our kids are exposed to, ultimately, we as parents have the power to influence our little ones and their thinking! So the sooner we start the easier and better it will be…
Couldn’t agree more with the below quote about raising kids, especially w.r.t this context!
“Tell me and I forget.
Teach me and I remember.
Involve me and I learn.”
“Don’t raise your kids to be more than you had, raise them to be more than you were.”
xoxo,
Kusum
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