What about My ‘Man Card’?

You know, I think I’ve finally earned one.

Last friday, I posted the following photo on Twitter.

And, yes, it is me. At a Justin Bieber concert. Wearing a Bieber shirt. Smiling.

Naturally, that sparked some replies, especially for those who know my musical taste.

I don’t really want to call Simon out here, he’s one of the good ones, but his tweet made me think. What is this mythical ‘Man Card’, and why would it be at stake?

The back story behind that photo is simple, my 16 year old daughter wanted to see Justin Bieber live. I’ve attended several other concerts with her older brother, and yes, it was her turn. She wanted to see Bieber, and I got hold of tickets.

Of course I took her to the concert. In fact, I took two days off work, drove over 900 kilometers from Bergen to Oslo, and back, in order for her to attend the show. And guess what? She got me the t-shirt. I will wear it proudly.

Thinking about it afterwards, I’ve concluded that this is probably the most manly thing I’ve done in my life.

How is that, you might ask? I’m not writing this because I believe I should get some extra credit for this, or any kind of recognition for it at all. All I did was spend some quality time with my daughter, doing something she wanted. This is what being a parent, or a man for that matter, is all about. Setting aside your own personal wants, and putting someone else ahead of your own ego. It’s what you should do, by default.

The fact that my 16 year old daughter wanted to go to a Justin Bieber concert, with me, means I must have done something right at some point. I definately have not have instilled my own musical tastes in her, but that’s beside the point, the point is this:

Do stuff for your family, your people, your flock. Stuff that might not be first on your own list of priorities— When you do, that’s when you can claim to have a ‘Man Card’ at all. This was important to her, thus is was important to me. It’s as simple and as complicated as that.