(WHDH) — Celtics star Gordon Hayward says he’s turning a viral moment into a teachable one — and one that will hopefully help raise money for an important cause.
Hayward was featured in a now-infamous gender reveal video on July 9.
Hayward and his two daughters open a box filled with colored balloons, which turn out to be pink — indicating his wife was expecting their third daughter.
Hayward’s reaction caught the attention of many viewers.
“Are you happy?” his wife asked.
“Daddy’s always happy,” Hayward replied, briefly turning and walking out of the shot.
In a blog post on his website, Hayward reflected on the conflicting emotions of the moment.
“I love my daughters and being their father,” he wrote. “Still, there was just a part of me that wanted to have a boy, mostly because as a man, there are certain things you can relate to with a boy that are just different.
So when I found out we were having a girl, I didn’t know what to say or what to think. It was a hundred percent natural reaction. ‘Daddy’s always happy.'”
Hayward says that after the video, he heard from several fathers who reached out and said they felt similar emotions.
“For me, it’s turned into a metaphor for being a parent, and all the responsibilities that go with it,” he said. ‘On the one hand, you’re happy and blessed to have your family. On the other hand, it’s challenging and surprising and hard work in ways you can’t imagine before becoming a parent. But ultimately, you have to embrace it and find the happiness that’s right there in front you.”
As a result, Hayward is launching a series of “Daddy’s Always Happy” t-shirts, the proceeds of which will support the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC) — a group that helps young parents get necessities for their children that they may not otherwise be able to afford.
You can find those T-shirts here.
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