Justin Baldoni pens emotional letter to his baby boy

By: Meaghan Wray

December 18, 2017

Justin Baldoni has penned a beautiful letter to his son Maxwell, in which he teaches him about the importance of listening. The actor shared a stunning black and white photo of himself cradling his three-month-old, who was born on Oct 18, accompanied by the heartwarming caption.

Dear Maxwell, As your daddy goes on this journey to explore his own masculinity and what it means to be a man. As he interviews experts, survivors, talks deeply with the other men in his life, and sits with the women around him...he’s realized there is one thing he wants you to learn and develop more than anything. One thing that could be your super power that would give you the strength to truly make a difference in our world. One thing (of many) that your daddy has not been good at and continually failed at over the course of his life. One thing that could solve so many (if not ALL) of the worlds problems. And one thing he is working on and trying his best his best to improve because for so long he THOUGHT he was doing it but really wasn’t. That one thing is to LISTEN. Really listen. Listen so much that you can actually HEAR. Because if we don’t listen than there is no space to hear. And if we don’t hear then there can be no growth. And without growth...life becomes meaningless. So listen to the women in your life. Listen to your mother, your sister, your nana. Listen to your guy friends, your bullies and the strangers you meet everyday. Listen to those who can’t speak. Listen even when it hurts. Just listen. And then let your actions be your response. I love you my son. I can’t wait to see who you grow up to be. Daddy #dearmaxwell #dearson #listen #ManEnough (Photo by @rebeccacoursey_photosandfilm )
A post shared by Justin Baldoni (@justinbaldoni) on Dec 17, 2017 at 4:19pm PST

“As your daddy goes on this journey to explore his own masculinity and what it means to be a man… he’s realized there is one thing he wants you to learn and develop more than anything,” the 33-year-old wrote, continuing, “That one thing is to LISTEN. Really listen. Listen so much that you can actually HEAR… Listen to the women in your life. Listen to your mother, your sister, your nana.”

He completed the letter with the hashtag #ManEnough, inspired by the 33-year-old’s new film series of the same name. Justin has gone on a journey to explore and redefine the definition of masculinity, hosting dinner parties that allow men from the film industry to openly discuss what it means to be a man.

And this isn’t a new passion for Justin – since the day he and Emily found out they would be having a baby boy, he’s made it his mission to raise his son with intention. Back in June, the actor shared a video to his Instagram of the gender reveal. In the video, the Hollywood couple, along with their little girl Maiya, are seen opening a letter that reads, “Congratulations! It’s a boy!”

Dear son, This was such a massively profound moment for us… and clearly it hit me hard. But thats ok, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about… in fact emotions are to be celebrated! Tears are good! It’s hard to explain, but I feel like my entire life has been about getting ready for this experience and yet at the same time I feel completely inept and not ready to be a dad again. I’ve learned so much and made so many mistakes and I continue to make them…EVERY DAY! But the more I think about being a father to a you, the more I'm excited to show you and your sister all my imperfections. All the reasons why I don’t know everything or don’t have answers to every problem. To show you that part of being a man is embracing the parts of yourself that you might be ashamed or embarrassed of. And that eventually, the side of us that we want to hide from the world will be the side that our future life partner will love more than anything. I want you to know that while confidence might be important for success, humility is necessary for happiness. I hope to show you over the course of your life, to not only respect women, but to stand up, and empower them in both large and small ways. When no one is watching and there's no reward. To be a true friend to train your eyes like a superpower to see women as humans with souls before you see’s them as objects. I haven’t always been good at this. I fail all the time, and like many men, my lower nature is strong as I’m sure yours will be… but we are only responsible for what we know and I can’t wait to start to try to teach you through my actions what I think it means to be a man today. The best part.. failing is not just a part of the curriculum… it’s necessary. So yeah… thats why I got so emotional my dear son. I can’t wait for you to see this one day and see all the reasons why your daddy was so excited you were going to be born into this crazy, dark, complicated world to a family that is going to love the shit out of you. I might not know you yet little guy, but I am already madly in love with you. I can’t wait to meet you and just know that I am only a few inches a way and I’m praying for you every day. Love, Daddy. #dearson
A post shared by Justin Baldoni (@justinbaldoni) on Jun 1, 2017 at 10:02am PDT

The Jane the Virgin star shared the beautiful moment on his Instagram with a heartwarming message, addressed to his unborn child. “Dear son, This was such a massively profound moment for us… and clearly it hit me hard. But thats ok, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about… in fact emotions are to be celebrated,” he wrote, adding, “The more I think about being a father to a you, the more I'm excited to show you and your sister all my imperfections... To show you that part of being a man is embracing the parts of yourself that you might be ashamed or embarrassed of.”

He finished off the message: “I might not know you yet little guy, but I am already madly in love with you. I can’t wait to meet you and just know that I am only a few inches a way and I’m praying for you every day. Love, Daddy. #dearson”

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