2021 might have had its ups and downs, but the one thing that we could truly rely on was dads beings dads. Our team here at Bored Panda has traveled to the farthest reaches of the internet to compile this list of legendary moments when dads ‘out-dadded’ even themselves, and then went viral for it on social media.
Our dads are our heroes, but they have an entirely unique vibe that you wouldn’t mix up with anyone else’s. In fact, we have a theory that the moment you become a dad, you level up and get invited to join the Global Dad League, a special club that has its specific rules and codes of conduct. From there on out, it’s all dad jokes and dad pants, loving awkwardness, and proud moments watching kids grow up.
These posts radiate some major dad energy, so make sure you’re morally prepared for just how awesome things are going to get. Get ready to be called buddy, champ, and slugger a lot because we’re about to go dad it up. Oh, and don’t forget to upvote your favorite posts, Pandas. (Pssst, don’t forget to check out these awesome dad jokes when you’re done enjoying this list!)
I had a chat about dadhood with relationship and dating expert Dan Bacon, who is a dad himself and the founder of The Modern Man project. I was curious how much our lives change when we become fathers and how we can tell if we're ready to have kids.
"One of the main changes is that your children want and need as much of your attention as possible, which means you have a lot less spare time to do things you want, including checking your phone," he told Bored Panda that having kids is the start of an entirely new era. "You are no longer a couple anymore. You are a couple and parents at the same time. It’s difficult to understand what it is like to be a parent without actually doing it." Read on for the insights he shared with me.
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According to relationship expert Dan, the founder of The Modern Man, at its core, being a father means being responsible for others that want you to take care of them first, "before you even think of taking care of yourself." Getting this right will mean that everyone's happy and everyone will "get along beautifully." However, failing to do your dad duties can result in some nasty consequences. "If you don’t, you will have a strained relationship with your children and potentially with your wife/girlfriend as well," he said.
"Understandably, that might sound like too much responsibility for some guys. Yet, when you become a dad, you are happy to do it. It doesn’t feel like a chore. It feels natural to be that selfless and to take care of them."
In Dan's opinion, we should trust our gut instinct when considering whether or not we're ready to have kids. At the same time, we ought to remember that our gut instinct may change over time.
"I personally went from not wanting kids at all, to gradually opening up to it. At some point, my gut instinct about having children changed and I decided that I'd like to have a family. So, I just went ahead with it. After a few years of trying, my wife and I eventually had twin girls when she was 26 and I was 41," Dan shared the story of how he started his family.
"Yet, prior to that, I never wanted to have children. Trust your gut instinct, while knowing that what you feel about the idea of having children now, may be completely different 2, 5, or 10 years from now and that is okay. You are allowed to change what you want as you go through life. You don't have to have everything decided right now and never change your mind about anything."
The relationship expert said that a lot depends on how each man perceives the idea of becoming a dad. "Some men see it as a truly amazing thing to become a dad, some see it as just a normal part of life, and others hate it. It really is different for every man and depends on who he is, what he wants from life, the importance he places on family, and what he truly wants to focus on," he explained to Bored Panda.
"For example: If a man was truly focused on achieving his biggest goals and ambitions in life prior to having children, he will usually continue to focus on that as being the most important thing to him, while also giving time to his children and wife, or girlfriend. If a man didn’t have big goals outside of the relationship prior to having children, his children will often become a huge part or the main part of what he sees as his purpose in life," he detailed.
"In other cases, a man will suddenly become ambitious and want to achieve a lot more to ensure that he can provide for his children and give them a better life."
Parenting isn’t something that you get to grips with theoretically. You need hands-on practice to truly get it. I previously spoke about how to be a good parent and what major mistakes to avoid with a couple of experts.
Lenore Skenazy, the founder of the Free-Range Kids movement and the Let Grow nonprofit, told Bored Panda that it’s not just hard to figure out the balance between being “too strict and too lenient, too prying and too hands-off”: it is actually impossible, according to her. However, one huge pitfall that she believes parents should do their best to avoid is sidestepping the desire to keep an eye on your kids the entire time.
“One thing many parents are choosing today is to keep their kids under constant surveillance, with the help of tech. Whether it’s being able to track their kids’ movements, read their browsing history, or even scan their texts, parents have all sorts of new tools to make them seemingly omniscient,” Lenore explained to Bored Panda one of the issues that modern parents face. However, they need to understand that even their kids require privacy.
“For the same reason you didn’t want your parents to read your diary, or to build a treehouse on the branch right next to YOUR treehouse, children need some space to grow into their own person. Kids need to know they are loved, but they also need to know they are trusted. They can’t prove that if parents never actually let them do some things literally on their own, without constant surveillance,” the expert stressed.
That's science. You can't fight science (unless you are a bishop, maybe...).
Way back in the eighties we got our first microwave... Dad explained how it worked... Mom shut him down every time I put something new in it to see what would happen and he'd focus on the mess and "misuse". Testing hypotheses IS learning.
An believe it, or not. Years from now this will make a great dad,and child memory.
We are all about the scientific method here. Unfortunately, my kids don't always run their methods by me before beginning their experiments. We could've saved a few kitchen appliances if they did.
I think this is kinda cool. I mean think about it.... the kid had a question the dad answered it by showing proof. Now the kid will believe what his dad says. Game, set, match!
Oh when you start driving and it melts. The smell... oghhhh *inner fat girl screams*
Teaching the kids proper scientific methods (form a hypotheses -> test it), I like it!
In the UK I do not believe we have "sticks of butter", it amuses me every time I read it. What do they do that standard packs of butter don't please?"
The simplest answer is that buying butter packaged in standard-sized "sticks" allows you measure out the amount you need for a recipe by cutting it according to the markings printed on the wrapper. I know that in most of the rest of the world, recipes are usually based on weight, rather than volume, but many Americans are still stubbornly clinging to our old ways, probably because that's how all the cookbooks we've been using all our lives are written. The even crazier thing is, we use two *different* standard sizes of butter sticks, one for the east side of the country and one for the west. ( Or so I've heard; I've lived my whole life on the west coast, and only personally experienced one type. ) [ There's a YouTube video on the subject, titled "The US' Butter Size Border', if you're really curious. ]
Load More Replies...Lenore suggests taking the “talk, don’t stalk” approach when raising children because this results in a more powerful sense of trust.
“Try to keep the lines of communication open with your kids, and gradually give them more freedom as they get older and earn it by being responsible. Taking all independence away for their ‘safety’ is a way to teach them that you don’t think they can handle anything on their own— how deflating!—and that you don’t trust them. Would you appreciate a spouse who tracked your every move? Would you feel trusted? Love requires some trust.”
Parenting blogger Samantha Scroggin, the founder of the Walking Outside in Slippers project, noted that it’s vital that parents see each child as an individual. And one thing to keep in mind is that what definitely works for some other families, parents, and kids might not work with your own munchkins.
“I am trying to do more to meet my kids where they’re at, figuring in their personality and what their needs are for them personally. In the past, I would sometimes assume that I knew what was best for my kids, based on what the ‘average’ kid ‘should’ need or want. But kids can be so different, even within the same family,” Samantha told Bored Panda.
Am I the only one who just looked up what it sounds like when a giraffe farts?
I assumed the dad was looking at the baby until baby wouldn't stop crying because he wasn't mom. Babies do go through a phase where no one but mom is acceptable. Hence, the mom photo. He made it work IMO.
“My 6-year-old daughter, for example, is very organized and a bit of a perfectionist. She also needs lots of attention and affection. While my 10-year-old son is a sometimes wild but also very sensitive and artistic soul. He needs his space. They are night and day,” the parenting blogger told me.
“I have learned I need to adapt my expectations of them and goals for them based on their individual personalities and quirks. I can create space for them to be who they are, and I believe this acceptance and customized attention will benefit them in the long run as they develop into teens and then adults,” she said.
That’s the look my dad had when he was waiting for me to just get out of the damn car!
And get them into a sleep routine in one evening, which you have failed to do in their entire lives.
Voice message is such a pain no delete this I did not mean to say this please delete stop
My youngest has been getting up at 3 every day for the past couple weeks. No matter how late he stays up.
Son this is the day I've been waiting for my whole life. Your ready. I left a million dollars in the *dad dies*
And mom in the background holding a single Dorito, in case anyone is hungry, lol
Kids are like cats: they knock things over even when you told them not to.
And that's the beauty of life! You can never guess what gems are going to pop up
If they're old enough to ask the question they're old enough to know the answer
Reminds me of the time my brother's best friend snuck into the kitchen, stole the ice cream out of the freezer and then rolled out of the back door with it, all while humming the "Mission Impossible" theme.
I was distracted by the fact that there is a place that sells a sandwich for $3.75.
Out of context question but what is Publix? Is it a convenient store or gas station?
My spouse does this ALL THE TIME! I’m pretty sure we’ve had this conversation before.
Can I give five upvotes ... and a sob? Well, I better get going, I have to clean out the bunnies my daughter desperately wanted and hasn't seen for ... weeks. I've grown quite attached to them - I think I play more with them than with my daughter
Oooooffffff, that gotta stings like the bee suit post from above
If my father call me his sperm i would call him sperm donor and not dad
Followed by a few seconds of rubbing your dollar against your thigh to smooth out the wrinkles to please the snack gods while terrified of tearing it.
Thank goodness I'm all grown up and never get annoyed or upset by completely stupid, meaningless things! *sweats*
but above all, take the time to take a photo instead of cleaning it right away, the concrete is not corrosive at all
Sorry, but if I had to wear that I'd wear a mask and dark glasses. The longer you look at it the worse it gets.
I'm so old that I can remember car rides where we sat in the back motionless and quiet for 40 minutes to avoid being thrown out of the car and having to find our way back home all by ourselves.
I've always had nightstand water, or as long as I can remember. I also remember the first time I was allowed to carry it upstairs by myself; I thought I was such a big girl!
Why are you letting your child watch Adolf Hitler Finger Family Minnie Mouse Babie Die In Gas Explosion 10 Hours Learn Shapes And Colours Compilation?
Yes. At least you’re not asking to be hand fed for a day like my husband.
I don't see what's funny, he just wants to have a conversation with his kid. Why post that for people to laugh at?
Although these posts are entertaining, I cannot relate. My own father was never like that.
Same, so I just pretend that all these dads are mine for a moment in time
Load More Replies...Maybe in a other topic. This is a specific funny dad topic. You can create your own funny mom topic if you have good stories to start with. And we ll add our own. Always way cooler than that reddit copy paste.
Load More Replies...Although these posts are entertaining, I cannot relate. My own father was never like that.
Same, so I just pretend that all these dads are mine for a moment in time
Load More Replies...Maybe in a other topic. This is a specific funny dad topic. You can create your own funny mom topic if you have good stories to start with. And we ll add our own. Always way cooler than that reddit copy paste.
Load More Replies...