30 Coolest Dads Ever (And What They Did)

When it comes to parenting, jokes and folklore say that the person who faints in the labor room, pukes while changing a baby’s diaper, and shies away from the birds and the bees talk is, the dad. “Go ask your mom” may have been the standing slogan of last generation’s dads but this generation sees the rise of the cool dads, the dads that took a look at a Dummy’s Guide To Parenting book, closed it and said, “Shove it, I’m going to be a dad my way.”

There are plenty of viral videos and stories online that have captured that notion so beautifully, giving many dads out there a second chance at redeeming themselves (and perhaps be rid of those terribly biased parenting jokes, forever).

While we’re not sure which of the following dads deserve the Father of the Year award for 2014 (can’t they ALL win?), it’s not too much to say that they all deserve to be the apple of their kids’ eyes.

The Dad Who takes His Kid drifting

Toxa Avdeyev from Kazakhstan took his 4-year-old son, Timofey for a spin on a closed racing track, and of course filmed his kid’s face. There is nothing but pure joy and excitement in young Timofey’s face while his dad sped away. In fact he liked it so much that Toxa lamented that his son demanded, “Once again.”

Toxa did deliver, a year later and again he has the video to prove it. My, my how quickly do children grow.

The Dad Who CGIs His Kid’s Home Videos

Like any doting father, Dreamworks animator Daniel Hashimoto likes taking videos of his son, James. Unlike any other father however, Daniel gives his videos of James the magical touch, turning home videos into stunning action movies, like having a working lightsaber, playng the game “the floor is lava” and speeding through a collapsing bridge (Watch out, James!). For more adventures of the Action Movie Kid, click here.

The Dad Who Sings

Damn you, tear glands! This one made headlines that you would definitely have come across. After a complication during a C-section, Chris Picco’s wife Ashley passed away, leaving premature son, Lennon to Chris’ care. Before the incident struck, Ashley had told Chris of how Lennon loved listening to music while in the womb, so the father did what any father could, sing to Lennon in his incubator. Unfortunately, Lennon, 4 days old, joined his mother shortly, but you don’t have to be a father yourself to know how much was lost.

The Dad Who Raps

Anyone remember Derek Clerk rapping with his boys while driving last year? Since then, other dads began to drop sick beats as an opportunity to bond with their children. Like this father-daughter duo lip syncing along to Iggy Azalea’s Fancy.

And this dad who decided to shorten story time by rapping out Harry Potter to his son. The little guy is having none of it though.

But all those dads probably got nothing on Ricky Weems and his girl, Kayliyah. Watch them kickin’ it together as they bring their A game here.

The Dads Who Did The Twist

Dads love to dance, as this Tumblr shows, especially with their daughters. It’s what happens when mothers leave the kid to their fathers at home. They do the Shake (it off)…

… and sometimes choreograph their own routine (Dad’s keeping up pretty well).

Some dads like it so much, they do it when they get home from work every day!

But not everyone can get up on stage like Mike Carey here. In his daughter’s beauty pagent, he got up on stage, picked up his daughter McKenzie, who suffers from mobility problems from mitochondrial disease, and waltzes with her to the tune of Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb”. You Sir, are doing parenting right.

The Dads Who Make Music

Of course, a father’s musical talents don’t just stop at song and dance. They can play instruments too. But making music is always more fun when you do it with your kids, again, when mom is not home.

Sometimes, when you don’t have instruments, you have to improvise, like this dad who turns his son into his personal drum set.

The Dad Who Made It Snow

Eric McGehearty lives in Dallas, Texas where the annual snowfall is a measly 1.3 inches so when a sudden snowstorm hits, a father has to do what a father’s got to do: take the kids sledding! Eric strings 3 laundry baskets together, has his 3 sons sit in them, and tows them down the snow-covered pavement. Just hear them scream in delight!

The Dad Who Loves Halloween (& His Kid)

Being a mere 6 months old, baby Geraint is much too young and small to go trick-and-treating. Ryan didn’t want his son to miss out on the celebrations though so he thought up a costume that would allow Geraint to go out trick-or-treating, in style. Lo behold, the Sunder mech costume Ryan built for his son. Check out the video to see it in action.

There are plenty of other dads who like to build cool things for their kid, like the dad who constructed a roller coaster in the backyard for his kid.

Or the dad who made a spaceship simulator in his son’s bedroom.

And here’s one who built the ultimate treehouse.

The Dads Who Don’t Mind Dressing Up

Mark Wilson’s son has cancer and the doctors gave him only one more year to live. So for his son’s 5th birthday party, he dressed up as none other than Spiderman, Jayden’s favorite superhero and swung by to wish him a happy birthday. As you can tell from Jayden’s face, it was totally worth it.

Other dads play dress up in different forms, like the one who came home from the war in time for his son’s birthday and came in dressed up as Captain America.

This dad helped his 5 daughters release their inner Elsa (and his too). Awww!

This dad gets mad props for dressing up as “Princess Leia” to accompany his daughter, “Han Solo” for Halloween.

The Dad Who Cooks For His Kids

When your dad is a professional illustrator, he might turn your food into works of art, which is what Nathan Shields does… with pancakes! Talk about delicious designs.

Other cool dads like this one make lunches for their kid, then doodles on the sandwich bags.

And there is no stopping this dad who turned food into cartoon characters to get his kids to eat their veggies.

This is one lunchbox made with love.

The Rest Of The Cool dad Gang

Some dads are not good with making food or building costumes, or even dancing but every dad has their own way of showing their kid how much they love them. There’s:

… this dad who embarrassed – sorry, waved goodbye to his son as he boards the school bus, in various costumes for 170 days. Because nothing says “I love you” more than embarrassing your kid by giving him a memorable send-off.

… and the dad who wore skirts and dresses with his 5-year-old son in public because his son prefers them. Way to show solidarity for your son and his choices, sir.

… and this dad who wrote 826 lunch notes for his 14-year-old daughter to last her till high school, in case he doesn’t (from kidney cancer).

… and the dad who hacked Donkey Kong for his 30-year-old daughter, so she could play as the damsel-in-distress, Pauline — only this time, Pauline gets to save Mario instead.

… and this is the dad who spent 13 years making and personalizing this graduation present for his daughter. Ever since she graduated kindergarten, her father had reached out to her teachers, coaches and principals to pen something about her in her most favorite book in the world, Dr Seuss’s Oh, The Places You’ll Go. He finally handed it to her on her high school graduation day.

You know what would be a good idea, right about now? Giving dad a call.