Dance is for Dudes

I'm gonna take a minute to publicly toot my husband's horn.

... Not like that, you pervs. (Although I have been trying to think of a good Father's Day gift ...)

*ahem*

What I mean is, I want to give him a shoutout. Because he is the kind of awesome that deserves it.

Last night, he and the boys and I were on the front row - all up in the action - to see this:

(I snapped like eight hundred photos with my iPhone, and then a few minutes later during a brief intermission a guy came out on stage and was all, "And please remember, no photography or videography is allowed." And I swear he looked right at me. He might as well have gotten in my face with a megaphone and been like, "RITA TEMPLETON, STOP TAKING PICTURES!")

Anyway.

Our local ballet troupe (corps? Whatever the proper fancy word for "group of ballet dancers" is) put on a free show at the park last night. I love me some free stuff, and I loooove me some ballet. And what do you think happened when I suggested to Curtis that we go?

He didn't screw up his face and look at me like I'd asked him to drive hot needles under his fingernails.

He didn't launch into a homophobic tirade about how ballet is for giiiiirls and if a man watches ballet he's gaaaay.

He was like, "Wow, really? Let's go! I think the boys would love it."

And we did go. And the boys did love it. We got there almost an hour early so that we could snag some good seats, so by the time it started they were restless and cranky. But like magic, once those dancers came onstage, all three boys - even the baby - were mesmerized. They didn't move a muscle or make a peep throughout the entire performance. My boys, my husband, our whole family, enjoyed the ballet together.

And y'all? That's one of the things I love most about my man. Curtis - six-foot-four, former military, as rugged as they come - can hunt and fish, shoot guns, and enthuse about sports, motors, boobs, and beer right alongside his fellow testosterone-laden counterparts. Yet he genuinely enjoys culture and refinement, and gets as much out of a ballet or museum as he would a football game.

It's amusing to see how many people think that he's being forced against his will to do this stuff. Like I have to drag him, or threaten him, or barter. Like he's just doing it to appease me. Like real men just couldn't possibly enjoy culture.

But he does. Very much. And because of that, so do our sons. Nobody has ever told them that "ballet is for sissies" or that they're going to be girly for liking it. All they know is that last night, we watched an amazing show of strength, grace, and beauty that captivated the whole family ... Daddy included. And they're already asking to go again.

I want my boys to be open to all kinds of experiences - not so closed-minded that they refuse to even try to enjoy something. And thanks to their dad's example, they're much more likely to grow up to be well-rounded and accepting.

Now if I could just train them to consistently put the seat down ...