Halftime Shows, Dads Playing with Kids, and OTHER Sources of Joy
- Allan Shedlin
- 10 hours ago
- 5 min read
By Scott Beller
Daddying Editor
Watching Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show last week with my wife and daughter provided a joyful moment shared with millions of others around the world needing a respite from the bombardment of negative news from the previous week – previous year. Whether or not you understood the language, the music, vibe, and in-your-face message of unity and cultural pride were clear and positively, undeniably energizing.
As we march through 2026, our relentless search for joy continues. Just a month in – and a week after rejuvenating Daddying Film Forum – and my joy meter already needed a boost, like so many people from Minneapolis to Milan. The Super Bowl halftime show's momentum helped carry us to the Olympics Opening Ceremonies, medal ceremonies, and a heroic, 2,300-mile "Walk for Peace," which streamed through our frigid neighborhood this week.
All these events had several things in common: shared experience, shared purpose, mindfulness, and hope. Most centered on music to carry their message. All fueled joy.
But not everything in our lives has to be a spectacle to move the needle. Like daddying, more often it's the little day-to-day activities and accumulated moments that matter most and provide the mental resilience we need to weather the worst life throws at us. As I sorted through old photos of me with my kids to use for this post, I was reminded of thousands of those little things.
Since they were babies, my wife and I have tried to provide our girls with enriching experiences, spur their creative minds, and engage with them in active play and exploration rather than just buy them "things" that offer them little long-term value. With one daughter away at college and the other busy six days a week with high school crew practice, schoolwork, and friends, finding time for us all to do something fun together as a family requires serious planning in advance. And even if we are able to find availability on the schedule, one, some, or all of us might prefer that time to be left open for rest! That's usually a TV night.
While we may have fewer opportunities to play together these days (that's not zero), joy still comes to me from other sources. I just have to look a little harder. Although we aren't able to spend all day, every day like we used to, my big girls still spark little doses of daily joy, sometimes in-person (at basketball practice, going for walks, sharing a meal, watching a show), often by text (college daughter's preferred communication), and regularly through photos/videos/memes (on my many coffee mugs, displayed in my office, or in frequent social posts, including this blog).
Our work, school, and sports activities have, so far, left us with frustratingly little room for "big" family plans in 2026. We're still zeroing in on family vacation dates this summer as we wait to see which camps our high-schooler decides to pursue along with rowing, and whether our college student secures an internship or job locally or elsewhere. But late last year, I succeeded in securing tickets for a big concert coming to town this August. And this week, we completed another "Dad duty" by jockeying for presale tickets to another show in July that both kids were desperate to attend.
Another highlight this week was that our Family Book Club 2026 selection arrived from Bookshop.org. You may remember my younger daughter was the winner in our new daddying holiday tradition, the 2025 INAUGURAL HOLIDAY ROMCOM FIASCO contest, and got to choose which book we will tackle. She generously complied with our request that the book not be part of the Twilight series (she's welcome to read it on her own – I got her the whole series as a report card reward). We'll read her pick, We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, as soon as her sister gets home for summer break in May.
So, now we have guaranteed music, reading, and joyful experience on the schedule!
Meanwhile, this Valentine's Day weekend, I'll be in New York City for Toy Fair, an event that advocates hard for "the importance of play." I last attended in 2018 as a writer for Raising Nerd and looking for fun and inspiring STEM/STEAM products and personalities to profile for that blog. Back then, as a Dad to an 8- and 10-year-old, I had a blast talking with creative toy companies, inventors, brand marketing managers, and even child development researchers about products that would encourage my kids' curiosity and feed their minds, not just divert their attention.
Now I'm heading back to Toy Fair as Editor and writer for this "new" blog and a Dad of much older kids. My stage of parenting may be different, but there's still a lot of the same connective tissue to link the missions of the Daddying blog/Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F) with Toy Fair. Our focus on the importance of positive, lifelong Dad involvement overlaps with the "Importance of Play." Both improve the overall wellbeing of children and fathers, alike, stimulating positive physical, emotional, social, intellectual, and creative outcomes. Seems like a perfect reason to create a new Atticus Award category for 2027: Best Dad Film Depicting "Importance of Play."
I know – that does sound like a great sponsorship opportunity!
Rockstar Mom and my kids aren't able to join me in New York, but I look forward to making new connections at Toy Fair with some creative toy minds, exploring collaboration possibilities, and finding more cool things to write about this year to help bring more kids together with their Dads (including me with mine). Of course, I'll also keep an eye out for a few joyful souvenirs to bring back for my big kids.
Daddying Film Festival & Forum 2027
June 21, 2026
Scott Beller is the proud, imperfect crew Dad of two teen, mighty girls, imperfect partner of their rock-star mom/regatta chaperone, a truth teller, purveyor of banned books, former youth soccer coach, championship basketball coach, retired part-time driving instructor, late-night filmgoer, Editor of the Daddying blog, and Director of Communications for DCG and the Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F). He's a seasoned writer and PR agency veteran with more than 35 years of experience helping organizations of all sizes and individuals reach audiences and tell their stories. Prior to launching his own creative communications consultancy in 2003, he led PR teams with some of the world’s most respected agencies, including The Weber Group and Fleishman-Hillard. As a consultant, he’s helped launch two other parenting advocacy nonprofits with DCG founder Allan Shedlin, REEL Fathers and Dads Unlimited. His first book, Beggars or Angels, was a ghostwritten memoir for the nonprofit Devotion to Children's founder Rosemary Tran Lauer. He is formerly known as "Imperfect Dad" and Head Writer/Editor for the Raising Nerd blog, which supports parents in inspiring the next generation of scientists, engineers, and creative problem solvers. He earned his BA in Communications from VA Tech so many years ago. You can follow him and his frequently salty language on Instagram and BlueSky.
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