The Lessons Our Kids Hear

I am the father of two daughters. I don’t follow the NFL like I once did, and my playlists are filled with mostly with Classic Rock and Country, not pop hits. I couldn’t name even one of Taylor Swift’s songs. But I can recognize when something is wrong, and what we’ve been seeing online lately is exactly that. What many of us do know is human decency, right from wrong, and providing children a good example through our own actions.

It is not about whether you cheer for the Chiefs, or whether you roll your eyes when a Taylor Swift song plays on the radio. This is about the way grown adults choose to ridicule a woman simply for being present, happy, and supportive of someone she loves. The backlash against her attending games, against her engagement to Travis Kelce, and even the outrage when the NHL had the audacity to congratulate them, has crossed into something uglier.

And here’s the part we cannot ignore: our kids are watching.

Our daughters hear the sneers and jokes about “too much Taylor.” They notice when successful women are reduced to punchlines. Our sons see the dismissive eye-rolls and learn that this is how society treats women who are visible, accomplished, and unafraid to take up space. We might think we’re just venting online, but what we’re really doing is teaching the next generation what kind of behaviour we accept.

Look at the facts. Taylor Swift has earned more awards than most artists could dream of, her concerts have had measurable impacts on local economies, and her music is studied in respected universities. When she was assaulted by a radio DJ and he tried to turn the tables by suing her, she fought back in court and won, asking for only one symbolic dollar. The message was clear: your dignity cannot be bought, your voice matters.

Travis Kelce has his own story too, one built on hard work, leadership, and generosity. Together, the two of them have quietly contributed to countless causes. Swift has a long record of supporting food banks, disaster relief, and education initiatives. Kelce’s foundation, “Eighty-Seven & Running,” provides scholarships and mentoring programs for underprivileged youth. Their combined reach is not just about headlines, it is about real people whose lives are changed because two public figures decided to use their platform for good.

And yet, instead of celebrating, or simply respecting the fact that they are two people in love, too many are preoccupied with mocking their relationship. Think about that.

This is not about being a fan of Taylor Swift or Travis Kelce. It is about the example we set as parents, especially as fathers. Do we want our daughters to grow up believing their joy will always be met with ridicule? Do we want our sons to believe that tearing others down, particularly women, is more acceptable than lifting them up?

The way we speak about others, especially in front of our kids, says far more about us than it does about them.

We can do better. Our daughters deserve better. Our sons need to know that kindness, success, and womanhood are never reasons for ridicule.

I may not know the lyric, and I don’t follow the game, but I know this much: kindness, resilience, and love deserve respect, not mockery. Our children are paying attention. Let’s make sure we are teaching them lessons that will help them build, not break, the world around them. Let’s be better people, better role models. Because these two are just that.

More reading: The Swift Effect: Kelce and the NFL Profiting