“Put your money where your mouth is.”

We’ve all heard it. We’ve probably all said it at one time or another.

My parents taught me to be very conscious about where I was putting my money. I remember being about 12 years old when a major retail chain bought a smaller chain of bookstores. All of sudden my family stopped shopping at the major chain. “Mom, why don’t we shop at K-mart anymore?” She explained that the bookstores sold pornography and we’d no longer be shopping at K-mart as long as the bookstores sold porn. You have to remember that in 1984 K-mart was the modern day Wal-Mart. I remember thinking at the time, “Good luck with that. A few boycotting Christians aren’t going to take down K-mart.” Well…the rest is history.

Last week, I went and bought a box of cereal solely because of this Cheerios commercial (embedded). If you have not seen it, please take a couple minutes and watch it.

It is one of my favorites. Here is why: over the past decade, some of the most popular TV shows have made husbands and fathers look like bumbling idiots: Everybody Loves Raymond, According to Jim,  and The King of Queens are a few easy examples. While the comedy is funny, the main character in each show is portrayed as a simpleton. He is typically passive, irresponsible, and certainly does not lead his home. He is largely dependent upon his intellectually superior wife, who often functions more as a mother than a partner.
I think that is exactly why movies like Braveheart, Gladiator, and The Patriot are so popular among men. We all want to a model of manhood that portrays virtue and vitality.
#HowToDad, Cheerios’ ad campaign, portrays fatherhood as adventurous, fun, and manly. It is not easy. It requires deliberate and intentional instruction. However, being a dad is one of the best, most rewarding, and most challenging thing a man can do. Any male can get a woman pregnant. A man will recognize his responsibility and step up to marriage and fatherhood.

Thank you Cheerios for recognizing that fatherhood is important and fun… it’s not a joke.

By the way, Peanut Butter Cheerios taste pretty good too!