My Little Brony
My two little girls have a thing for My Little Pony. Call it a hankering for horses or just mare-ital bliss, but somewhere along the line, they ditched Dora, wacked the Wonder Pets, and pledged their allegiance to all things My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.
They love Rainbow Dash (the tomboy), Rarity (the fashionista), Fluttershy (the shy one), Applejack (the Farmer), and Pinkie Pie (the hyper one). So, I guess it was only a matter of time before they bought an extra-large My Little Pony tee shirt, and expected me to proudly prance around wearing it like a show dad at the big equestrian event.
Today was the day. I could say ‘NAY’ no longer.
I first stretched out the too-small grey and purple “Ponies Forever” XL shirt the girls had bought me (with love), put it on (with effort), and then galloped out of the house like a proud stallion that owned this town.
We went to the kids’ swim class.
We went to the mall.
We went to lunch.
At each location, people were treated to the sight of a 37 year-old man with blue jeans, grey hair, and a My Little Pony shirt stretched to its physical limit. Some smiled, others did double-takes, but only one guy actually had the nerve to ask, “Hey, what’s the deal with the shirt?”
“My daughters got it for me, and Dad didn’t want to disappoint,” I said.
He immediately launched into a story about how be bought his straight-laced, shirt-and-tie dad, a teacher, one of those loud, Bob Marley tie-dyed shirts; something his father would normally never wear. He just wanted to buy it to see if his dad would wear it, and he did! So, I was in good company in my Pony gear.
Throughout the day, I learned a little bit about myself. I may consider myself manly, I may consider myself proud, but there isn’t much I wouldn’t do to avoid disappointing my kids. The Urban Dictionary even has a term for guys who go around wearing Pony gear and talking about recent episodes: a Brony. Teenage to young-adult male fans of the animated cartoon ‘My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.’ The term is often accepted as gender-neutral, and many female fans prefer ‘brony’ over the not-so-popular “pegasister.”
I’m not exactly a Brony. I’m not exactly a Pegasister. Maybe, I’m just that rare type of dad trying to provide a little rainbow dash of love for my kids. While My Little Pony may have friendship that’s magic, Dad has a love that’s magic, and that love will last forever.
NOW can I put this shirt out to pasture?
How far have YOU gone to avoid disappointing your kids?
Pete Wilgoren is outnumbered by a wife, two little girls, and a dog named Cupcake. Guess who named the dog? Find him on Facebook at Dadmissions – The Book.
