Sometimes dads get a bad rap. There are a lot of great dads out there, and while they may do things differently than mom would, they are great parents.

We can understand how a mom who spends more time with the kids than dad does would worry a little while leaving her kiddos home alone with dad for the first time, but it is super important for kids to spend quality time with their dads. After all, studies have shown that boys will look to their dad as a role model and seek his approval in everything they do; meanwhile, girls will be attracted to men who have the same characteristics her dad had (such as loving, kind, respectful).

We’ve seen a lot of great examples of dads who like to have fun with their kids. There is nothing cuter than a dad having a dance party with his daughter or belting out carpool karaoke (with fun props, no less). If you’re a dad who isn’t sure how to spend quality time with your kiddos, just turn on the music and have some fun.

More daring dads with daughters will actually let their little girls give them makeovers. We’re talking hair, makeup and even costumes. These little girls are certainly lucky, and we’re sure they’ll laugh about and treasure the memories for years to come.

Those are examples of great ways dads bond with their older kids, but what about when your kids are babies?

One dad that comes to mind was expertly able to calm down his crying newborn baby just by making one sound, a low “awwwwww” sound that the parents even said mom was not able to replicate. This is a definite dad win.

But, we also think of the dad who was caring for his newborn baby while mom was running some errands, and nothing dad did could calm the baby down until he had a brilliant idea – he handed the baby a shirt the baby’s mom had worn. Smelling mom’s familiar scent totally calmed the baby down. It’s a super sweet dad moment that was luckily caught on camera. 

That brings us back to where we started, a mom leaving her kiddos alone with dad for the very first time. One mom in particular was leaving her triplets home with dad so that she could run some errands. Mom was curious how dad was handling the situation, and he finally decided to send her a photo. We’re sure it was not what she was expecting. See for yourself.

This dad definitely shows that he’s in control of the situation and having fun with it too, but we have to wonder how long it took him to get this table set up and the babies in place before having the perfect photo op.

What are your favorite memories with your dad? Do you have any examples of how dads parent differently yet amazingly well?