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Remember Red from That 70s Show? The classic, tough-as-nails Dad of the last century who rarely shows emotions and stands thin mouthed at the sidelines of the football field, occasionally yelling out a few words of rough encouragement?
We all knew these dads - and loved them for who they are. But that dad is slowly disappearing and giving way to a new kind of dad - a dad who shows love and emotion, and makes sure to teach his sons a fluid understanding of masculinity and empowers his daughters.This new kind of dad has been embodied by the following seven dads who reached social media fame for these awesome expressions of dadness - support, love, and acceptance, no matter what.
1. PAUL HENSON AND HIS SON'S PRINCESS HALLOWEEN COSTUME
With Halloween season upon us, Paul Henson and his son, Caiden, set out to find a costume. When Caiden chose a Princess Elsa costume, Henson didn’t bat an eye. “Halloween is about children pretending to be their favorite characters,” Henson said. “Just so happens, this week his is a princess.”
2. MIKKI WILLIS AND HIS SON'S CHOICE TO PLAY WITH DOLLS
When his adorable son Azai picked a doll toy at the toy store, Mikki Willis decided to turn the moment into an opportunity to show his son unconditional love. “You have my promise to love you and accept you no matter what life you choose,” Willis can be heard saying in the video to the ecstatic “Yeah!” of young Azai.
3. GARETH HICKENBOTTOM-MARRIOT AND HIS CHOCHLEAR TRANSPLANT SOLIDARITY TATTOO
Gareth Hickenbottom-Marriot achieved fame after an incredible show of devotion for his eight-year-old daughter, Briar, who was born deaf. When Briar got a Cochlear transplant, Hickenbottom-Marriot got a tattoo of the transplant as a sign of solidarity.
4. NATHAN BOND AND HIS DAUGHTER'S REQUEST TO PAINT HIS NAILS
There is no single reason why Nathan Bond regularly rocks nail polish painted by his daughter, Sadie. Partially it’s because at the age of two, she asked if she could. Partially it’s to encourage a broader, flexible view of gender. Partially it’s because he wants to raise a strong young woman. And it’s also because it’s an important bonding ritual for the two.
Upworthy produced a beautiful video of Bond together with Sadie, where Bond explains the special significance of the nail polish after losing his wife to cancer a year ago. “As a single dad, raising a really strong confident woman is super important for me. Making sure she’s got great role models, but also being a great role model, is a primary goal.”
He likes wearing nail polish. Why? Because he's a good father.- Video by Jess Blank. Special thanks to Paint Bond
5. PHILLIPPE MORGESE AND BRAIDING HAIR
Philippe Morgese became a single father when his daughter Emma was just one year old. With the daunting task of solo parenthood ahead of him, Morgese realized that he had to learn how to style his daughter’s hair. As Morgese’s hair styling skills developed - beginning with buns and ponytails and quickly progressing into complex braids and updos - other dads began asking Morgese for assistance with their own daughters.
After a local beauty school donated a classroom for free, Morgese set to work teaching interested dads to do their daughter's hair. “I created a Dads and Daughters hair class to help other fathers learn about doing hair. We had a small class full of dads that learned basic brushing, ponytails, braids and buns.”
6. MIKE WILSON, SPIDER DAD
Mike Wilson literally became a superhero for his terminally-ill son, Jayden. On the occasion of his fifth birthday, shortly after receiving a brain cancer diagnosis, Wilson decided to surprise Jayden by coming to the party dressed as his favorite superhero, Spiderman. In the video below, Wilson, a professional freerunning and Parkour athlete, jumps from the roof to the delight and surprise of Jayden, who gives him a hug and invites him in to celebrate his birthday.
7. THE DANCING DAD
The last dad on this list unwittingly achieved fame after his wife left a camera set up when he watched the kids. The anonymous father is seen entering a room where his young daughter is jamming out to Katy Perry’s “E.T.” The enthusiastic dad quickly drops everything to join his little girl for a dance party, replete with pom-poms, expert moves and lip-syncing.
