The idea of this article came to me while I was jamming out to "Magic Man" by Heart, a song my dad engraved in my siblings and me from a young age. I was flashing back to sitting in the backseat, my dad encouraging each of us to take turns chiming in on different parts of the song.
I've thought about it before, but never actually brought it up to my dad, but we really have been each other's hype man since I can remember. He was always there to encourage us in all the right ways. We also returned all the hype to him as well. I can recall always laughing at my dad's jokes, egging on his hilarious behavior, often while Mom sat there rolling her eyes.
My dad had three of us, all three years in age, to always be his hype group. We'd be piled into his blue pickup truck, driving to the summer football camp he coached, waiting for the part of "Bohemian Rhapsody" he taught us to head-bang our hearts out to.
I'm sure not everyone has the same exact rock n' roll memories as I do with mine, or the past experiences of having your dad coach your 7th-grade basketball team, but in one way or another, dads are always there to hype you up.
There comes that time in preteen/teen years when we start to test authority and push our limits with the rules, and as your hype man, dads also have to encourage those actions that aren't going to do you any good.
A hype man wants you to be the most successful you can be. If you're being a delinquent, he can't hype you up for much then, huh. It may not have made sense then, but there probably isn't a time they discouraged a behavior of yours that you now (assuming several years have passed) don't regret at all and may even thank him for.
To put it simply; your hype man doesn't have to always hype you up if you're not being an individual worth hyping up. That sounds harsh, but it doesn't need to be taken that way. Your dad wants to see you thrive, succeed, be the best you. If they're acting some type of way about something you've done and shared with them, maybe you need to take a minute and think about it.
As I've grown into a "young adult" the hype man has turned from practicing a better shot in basketball to getting a new internship and graduating college. The challenges and achievements may have changed, but one thing has not.
There on my sidelines will always be my number one hype man. The person who has been there through the downs, and cheered me through the ups. From childhood, through my rough teen years, through my rough early college years (sorry dad, I know I've been a tough team to root for), to finishing up my last years at university.
My dad has been there for me, cheering me on, hyping me up, helping me get to where I need to be.
In conclusion, shout out to my dad, Steve Dougherty. He's the coolest science teacher-coach dad I could ever ask for. He has always and will always be my hype man. It may be bragging for me to say, but you did a damn good job raising us three, and thank you for always cheering me on.