Dear daughter,
I did not watch the VMA's. I was up with you. I was helping with your feedings. I burped you. I made sure your diaper was fresh and I also made sure that your swaddle was tight. I am the king of swaddling.
The next day I went on Facebook and saw 50,000 statuses about Miley Cyrus. She dressed provocatively and danced to "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke. Your brother and I sing the clean version of that song. He always wants to know what rhymes with "Hug Me." I think a lot of people want to actually know what rhymes with "Hug Me." Heyheyheyhey!!!!!
She twerked. Twerking is a form of "booty popping." People were offended. Moms who preach body image were saying she had no ass to do that. People who "never judge" started to judge. Miley became a poor role model for young kids.
Keep in mind that Leann Rimes stole a woman's husband. Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Bynes have been arrested numerous times. Demi Lovato punched someone. Taylor Swift has dated numerous men in Hollywood and most ended up poorly. You can hear it in her songs.
Yet you never heard much about Miley except she twerked and was provocative on the biggest stage at the time. On cable. She danced and got attention. Maybe it was in bad taste. She comes from a line of poor taste. You probably do not remember Billy Ray's mullet.
But that is not the point of all of this. I am writing this because I promise you that no celebrity will be your role model. Growing up my role model was your grandfather. I saw him wake up every morning at 4:00 a.m. to go to work. He never slept in. He worked in a factory for 12 hours a day and still had time to play ball with me. He was there for me when I wanted to take acting lessons. He was there for me when I wanted to play football. He worked over 70 hours a week and he always had time for me.
He taught me about family. He taught me about love. He taught me about being a good father.
You are going to have numerous talents. Everyone in our family does. But they will not be exploited. Maybe you will have a great voice...you will not try out for a reality show as long as you live at home. Maybe you will be a great actress. There are plenty of local theaters for you to perform until you are eighteen. You will be a good student. You will have support and love at home. You will not have to look at the television for a role model.
Miley Cyrus is not stupid and the people around her are not as well. The reality is attention is more important than anything else. She did nothing to harm people. People who condemn her are not going to heaven any quicker than the rest of us.
But I did not watch the VMA's. I was taking care of you. And I promise that you will appreciate that I did.
Love,
Dad