Hey dads, how would you feel if your son went to the toy shop to pick out a new toy – and decided on a mermaid doll?
One dad thought it was great, and his video of his son proudly holding his new doll has gone viral.
Mikki Willis told USA Today that his son Azai had received two identical toys for his birthday so took him to the shops to exchange one gift for something else.
“How do you think a dad feels when his son wants to get this,” Mikki said in a YouTube video, while Azai proudly holds up the mermaid.
His own reaction was: “Yeah!”
In a follow-up post, Mikki said he and his wife, Nadia, were trying to raise their children without prejudice.
“We made a commitment to raise our boys outside of traditional rules, and instead, from our natural intuition,” he says.
“People are asking me, “how did you feel the moment Azai chose that doll?” The honest answer is, it didn’t surprise me at all. Azai is equally fascinated by princesses and robots. One moment he’s all boy, the next he’s expressing a softer, more angelic side. For me this behaviour rings more authentic than playing one note all the time.”
There were some predictably awful comments posted, including:
“If that were my son I’d beat the sh!t out of him!”
But others said: “Great Dad!!! Let them choose!!! No judgement, no fear!” and “I applaud this father. That’s the way everybody should treat their children. Unconditional love and acceptance.”
