As parents we love to see our kids being carefree and showing their unique personality. Their behavior does tend to change when they are out with their friends or out of the comforts of their own home. Why is this?

Well in a survey conducted by Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes Ninety percent of tweens think they’re great, yet 40 percent often hold back on expressing what makes them great. Meanwhile, half of dads believe this holding back often keeps their tweens from having fun, which I agree with. I feel that kids are in fear of what other kids might say to them when that child is being fun and carefree.

The survey also found out the following information.

70 percent of tweens wish they had more opportunities to share what makes them great with others, and 62 percent would be more likely to share what makes them great if they had more encouragement.

100 percent of tweens feel comfortable truly being themselves and sharing what makes them great at home.

81 percent of dads wish their tween had more opportunities to share what makes him/her great with others.

How do we change this? Well Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes teamed up with actor, host, dancer and funnyman Alfonso Ribeiro to launch the “Let Your Gr-r-reat Out” program, giving dads and tweens the extra boost they need to be true to themselves and proudly share with the world what makes them gr-r-reat.

“Greatness isn’t something you need to learn or earn – it already exists inside each and every one of us,” said Ribeiro. “Made a new friend at school? That’s greatness. Had the guts to try a new move on the dance floor or bang out a tune on the piano? That’s greatness. Everybody has it, but not everybody recognizes it. That’s why I’m partnering with Frosted Flakes and Tony the Tiger – to help dads and tweens appreciate and exude that greatness that they tend to be shy about.”

I was able to spend some time with Alfonso yesterday to talk about the work he is doing with Kellogg’s.

Tony the Tiger and actor and host Alfonso Ribeiro celebrate the launch of the Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes “Let Your Gr-r-reat Out” campaign,Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Diane Bondareff/AP Images for Kellogg’s)

Tony the Tiger and actor and host Alfonso Ribeiro celebrate the launch of the Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes “Let Your Gr-r-reat Out” campaign,Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Diane Bondareff/AP Images for Kellogg’s)

Here is part of the interview with Alfonso.

Art Eddy: You are working with Frosted Flakes to encourage kids to let their great out. Tell me a bit about this program.

Alfonso Ribeiro: Kellogg’s, Tony the Tiger, and I have teamed up together to launch this campaign, Let Your Great Out. It is focused around tweens. Being able to and being comfortable to express themselves and to let their great out and to be great at whatever they do and dads supporting that and being involved in that. It is super important for me as a father. I have got a 13 year old. It is important that she feels comfortable enough and secure enough to be able to try and do whatever she wants to do in her life.

For other kids out there and other dads out there to support that and their kids. So Kellogg’s and I along with Tony the Tiger had a press conference in New York launching the campaign and it was a super success. We are going to continue to support it via social media.

AE: Why do you think kids are too shy to be themselves in today’s society and social media? Do you think some of it is the fear of everyone know having a camera in their pocket and taking video of someone’s mistakes?

AB: It could be positive and negative at times. Being able to have social media where you can express yourself and allow other people to see whatever it is your doing or to see what you are passionate it about is great. Sharing that with your friends is super important and I think it is a great thing for this generation.

When you are so into your phones and into these social media platforms to the point where you are no longer having real relationships with people is the other side of it. You don’t want that. You want people to use it as a secondary way of engaging with the people around them. There is no greater joy in life than doing whatever it is that you love to do. Sharing it is a secondary part of it.

It is important that you do it in a way for a parent that your kids or your tweens are doing it safely. They have just their friends and not strangers checking them out. It is really about creating a community online versus opening yourself up to the world. It is different for let’s say my kid versus other kids because there is this reality of fans that might try to connect to her differently than they would me. For everyone else they can have a public account and let it be open. There are certain things of the computer generation that I am not a fan of, but I am certainly a fan of my daughter being able to express herself and as her dad being able to support that.

For more #LetYourGreatOut content and to keep up with Tony as he spreads his message, follow him on Twitter under @RealTonyTiger and visit Frosted Flakes on Facebook. Plus look out for my entire interview with Alfonso as part of the My Life of Dad series we run here at Life of Dad where I talk with him about fatherhood and his career in the entertainment industry.