Have you ever wanted to ask your father if he is proud of you, or tell him how grateful you are that he’s in your life? Fathers tend to have a hard time expressing their emotions and often have difficulty opening up to their children. A lot of what they are feeling is never said out loud and communicated, which leaves kids feeling distant and left to guess as to what their dad may really be thinking. This can be unhealthy and lead to a lot of mistaken assumptions that may hurt kids feelings and go un-addressed for years.
It is society which as taught and come to expect fathers to behave in this emotionally distant manner, while mothers are expected take on the primary emotional support role in their kid’s and families lives. That is the motivation behind this video about the #TellThemNow campaign, which encourages more open and direct lines of communication between fathers and their children, regardless of how old they may be.
The people in the clip were only asked to participate in a short video and weren’t told anything else about what it entailed. A father and child pair were directed to stand closely facing one another, and the son or daughter began by asking the question, ‘What about me makes you proud?’ to their dad.
All the responses that followed were genuine, and from the heart, being said on the spot. Some dad’s answered saying, “everything,” “you’re loving,” “funny,” “you helped me,” and so on, elaborating from there and opening up much further. The pairs were surprised by how powerful and emotional the simple exercise was and some even cried, others laughed and hugged, but they all felt a deeper connection.
What made this so raw and true was that it was sudden and unrehearsed. These people all finally spoke out loud what had been on their minds and in their thoughts for so long. Finally, they felt safe to express, and hear, what they should have shared with each other all along.
We never know how much more time we have here on Earth or how long our loved ones will be with us, so before they are gone you should tell them how you feel. Hopefully you were inspired to reach out to your father to connect with him and open up. Father’s day is a week away, so now is the perfect time to call him up and tell him you love him if you haven’t done so already lately.
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