In the 2000 film Love & Basketball, one of the most potent scenes for me occurs as Quincy lies in the hospital bed recovering from surgery on his ACL.
After his father walks in, he encourages Quincy and affirms him while trying to help him realize he is more than a basketball player. As tears begin rolling down Quincy’s face, he starts thinking about all the advice his dad has given him over the years.
Then, Quincy asks a question his dad struggles to answer: “How come you couldn’t be the man you tried to make me?” With a look of shame and humility, Quincy’s father responds, “I just couldn’t.”
For all the men who are responsible for helping boys navigate their journey into manhood, I want you to know they are watching us and waiting to see how we treat women, handle adversity, make a living, take care of our families, speak to others, build healthy relationships, control our attitudes, cultivate our faith, and live this thing called life.
As we encourage, equip, and empower our boys to chase their dreams and become all they can, they must know we haven’t stopped doing the same. After all, our message to them means nothing if we don’t model it first.
Jason A. Dixon is the author of The Youth Advocate Blog. He passionately amplifies young people's experiences and critically examines the issues affecting them with inspiring and thought-provoking articles each month. Coach Jason is also one of the top youth motivational speakers for middle school, high school, and college students and the CEO and Founder of Inspire 2 Reach Higher. You can follow Coach Jason on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.