upworthy

Family

Fatherhood

Dad and daughter relationships, as explained by 10 paintings.

The amazing bond between dads and daughters.

All illustrations are provided by Soosh and used with permission.

I have plenty of space.


It's hard to truly describe the amazing bond between dads and their daughters.

Being a dad is an amazing job no matter the gender of the tiny humans we're raising. But there's something unique about the bond between fathers and daughters. Most dads know what it's like to struggle with braiding hair, but we also know that bonding time provides immense value to our daughters. In fact, studies have shown that women with actively involved fathers are more confident and more successful in school and business.

You know how a picture is worth a thousand words? I'll just let these images sum up the daddy-daughter bond.

A 37-year-old Ukrainian artist affectionately known as Soosh, recently created some ridiculously heartwarming illustrations of the bond between a dad and his daughter, and put them on her Instagram feed. Sadly, her father wasn't involved in her life when she was a kid. But she wants to be sure her 9-year-old son doesn't follow in those footsteps.

"Part of the education for my kiddo who I want to grow up to be a good man is to understand what it's like to be one," Soosh told Upworthy.

There are so many different ways that fathers demonstrate their love for their little girls, and Soosh pretty much nails all of them.

Get ready to run the full gamut of the feels.

1. Dads can do it all. Including hair.

relationships, fathers, dads

I’ve got this.

All illustrations are provided by Soosh and used with permission.

2. They also make pretty great game opponents.

daughters, daughter, father

Sharing life strategy.

All illustrations are provided by Soosh and used with permission.

3. And the Hula-Hoop skills? Legendary.

bonding, dad, child

Tight fitting hula-hoop.

All illustrations are provided by Soosh and used with permission.

4. Dads know there's always time for a tea party regardless of the mountain of work in front of them.

family bond, parent, child-bond

Dad makes time.

All illustrations are provided by Soosh and used with permission.

5. And their puppeteer skills totally belong on Broadway.

love, guidance, play

Let’s play.

All illustrations are provided by Soosh and used with permission.

6. Dads help us see the world from different views.

sociology, psychology, world views

Good shoulders.

All illustrations are provided by Soosh and used with permission.

7. So much so that we never want them to leave.

travel, inspiration, guidance

More dad time please.

All illustrations are provided by Soosh and used with permission.

8. They can make us feel protected, valued, and loved.

protectors, responsibilities, home

Always the protector.

All illustrations are provided by Soosh and used with permission.

9. Especially when there are monsters hiding in places they shouldn't.

superhero, monsters, sleeping

Dad is superman.

All illustrations are provided by Soosh and used with permission.

daddy-daughter bond, leadership, kids

Never a big enough bed.

All illustrations are provided by Soosh and used with permission.

Seeing the daddy-daughter bond as art perfectly shows how beautiful fatherhood can be.

This article originally appeared eight years ago.

From Your Site Articles
Motherhood

Parents record 'Just a Mom' song in their bathroom. The lyrics are wrecking people.

"Hit me hard, sitting in the dark, kids are sleep and I can't stop crying, I am just a mum."

Screenshots courtesy of Audrey and Nathan Seals

'Just a Mom' song recorded in family bathroom is everything

When you become a mom it can sometimes feel as if you've lost your identity. Suddenly everything is about the baby when just a short 10 months prior your main concern was if you'd have time after work to grab happy hour $2 wings before it was over. There was variety to your day and adult conversations came with ease. Your life can feel like two different timelines, broken up into before motherhood and after, though you're still very much the same person.

Of course there are joys to motherhood, and for some moms that overshadows everything else while others feel like there's more to them than "just being a mom." Sometimes the journey of parenthood can feel isolating until someone comes along and shares the same feelings. Audrey and Nathan Sears are parents to a young daughter and the pair have taken to singing songs about parenthood that they've written throughout the day in the bathroom at night.

The young mom shares with Upworthy, "100% of our songs are recorded after we put our daughter to sleep at night. We want to make sure that we're present in each moment that we have with our daughter, so we try to keep music and our life with her compartmentalized."

While to someone who isn't a singer it may seem weird for them to record music in the bathroom instead of a more roomy area of the house, but bathrooms have great acoustics. Even Christina Aguilera recorded her audition for the Mulan soundtrack in the bathroom, and that catapulted her career, so the bathroom recording sessions make sense. But it wasn't the bathroom that caught people's ear, it was the talent and lyrics to one of their most recent songs.

schitts creek crying GIF by CBCGiphy

Audrey and Nathan who have known each other since sixth grade, realized there was no representation in music that encapsulated the early years of parenting, so they decided to fill in that hole.

Audrey tells Upworthy, "It wasn't until we had our daughter that we really felt compelled to put our experiences to music. We were struggling to find music that we could relate to in this new (and universal) stage of life, so when we began posting our songs about parenthood on TikTok and then Instagram, it was so exciting to see how many people were resonating and feeling the same emotions that we feel when writing our music."

The duo released, "Just a Mom" and opened a floodgate of tears from moms online feeling seen by the reality of the lyrics. Audrey's voice is soft but full of richness while her husband strums along behind her. The first lines just go over the daily routine of a mom, but in the end it reiterates the reality that some people will only see you as "just a mom."

"I filled the dishwasher, then I got the baby out of bed. I made the breakfast and got us dressed before we left. Went on a walk downtown cause I've been worried about my looks, she fell asleep when we got home. I organized all of her books. It's just another day on this little island that we made," Audrey sings before continuing with the long list of things many moms do, including making food everyone is going to say they hate.

Giphy

The lyrics, the melody, the soothing sound of Audrey's voice are a perfect combination to elicit emotion from listeners who understand the struggle. The video has been listened to over 450k times on TikTok and over 2 million on Instagram, both comment sections are filed with moms who relate to the young mom's song.

While the song has different meanings to different people, Audrey is clear that she's not complaining, telling Upworthy, "This song isn't complaining about the load of motherhood or minimizing the role of fathers, it's about celebrating all the incredible work that mothers do to raise kind and brave humans." The music duo didn't realize their song would go viral but moms everywhere are relating to the lyrics.

One mom says, "Some may say that it's life. Everyone has to get up and get dressed and make food etc. But being a mom is different. It's the mental load you carry keeping another human or two or three or more alive and happy while also trying to keep yourself afloat. It's hard but the best hardest job in the world."


"In the clurb, we all fam… and sobbing. Uncontrollably sobbing," another writes.

"I think what hurt most was when I realized my friends and family started seeing me as “just a mom” instead of my self," a commenter shares.

Another mom chimes in, "Wow this, I mean could there be a more perfect song to describe how invisible it feels to be a Mom, really any Mom working or not, but especially one that stays at home. Thank you for making and sharing this beautiful song."

Happy Tears Cry GIF by Farmer Wants A WifeGiphy

While the song was aimed at moms, it did reach a few dads, causing one to vow to step up more in the house after hearing the lyrics. The virility and tearjerking reaction to the song has caused calls for it to be released on streaming platforms. It's coming, according to Audrey.

"When the song started going viral, we had actually just finished recording a parenthood song that had also gone viral on TikTok called "My Baby's Baby." We have plans to release that one in early 2025 with hopefully a few of our other most-loved songs to follow. Right now, we're just basking in the love and enjoying what we're doing at that pace that makes sense for our life and our family - which will always be our first priority. The best place to keep up with what's new and being released is on our instagram and TikTok," the mom shares.

No one is just anything. Moms have interests, hobbies, and dreams while also caring for small humans that they're trying to mold into good people. So if you have a new mom in your life, be sure to continue to see her for who she is outside of motherhood, try to recognize the load she carries and send her this song, she may need to hear it.

From Your Site Articles
just a mom song
Family

Parents get a wave of support after their family has 'unhinged' reaction to new baby's name

Hope their family was taking notes.

Canva

Unsolicited opinions aren't just annoying. They can be hurtful.

Sure, parents sometimes make an…interesting choice when it comes to naming their child. But the key word there is "choice." It probably goes without saying that it’s not the best move to insert an opinion on something rather personal and vulnerable like a child's name, especially when that opinion is not requested.

But nonetheless, people do cross this boundary, expressing their disapproval and giving new moms and dads yet another reason to second-guess themselves.

As one frustrated mom shared on Reddit, her own in-laws gave what she described as the “most unhinged” reaction to her newborn’s name, leaving her and her husband completely “crushed.”

At first, everything went smoothly.

“I just had a baby this week,” the mom wrote in her post. “We were still in the hospital when we announced her name and got a slew of the usual responses that normal, sane people say when hearing about the name of a baby (‘what a lovely name!’). Because saying anything different is insane, right?”

But when her husband texted his side of the family to share their newborn daughter’s name, all hell broke loose.

Mind you, these parents didn’t name their child Watermelon Gumdrop or Fern Gully or something else truly out there. The name they chose, which caused them a lot of unnecessary grief, was Rosa.

Not only does Rosa (the Spanish word for “rose”) sound lovely, it carries all poetic meaning symbolized by the flower: hope, love, and courage. What’s not to like?

a photo of a rose

Rosa is a baby girl name of Mexican origin.

Canva

But instead of celebrating their name choice, the mother-in-law apparently responded with, ““No, I don’t really like that name. I much prefer Violet.”

“We were stunned,” the woman continued. “I simply cannot imagine being a family member who’s being INFORMED of a newborn’s name, and thinking you should have input…We LOVE our daughter’s name, and did not want to have our first moments with our daughter marred by this comment.”

But wait, it gets worse.

The husband's family then called several times after their texts were ignored. The following day, the husband’s sister also sent a barrage of texts with “alternatives [that] she prefers.”

Then, when told that the entire family on the mom’s side supported the name, the mother-in-law laughed and said, “They must not have good taste—nobody here likes it. Nobody.”

Now, this next part really shows the effect this appalling behavior had on the new parents:

“We are sleep deprived. Coming down from an emotional high, during which our daughter was in NICU and I almost needed a blood transfusion because of how much blood I lost. My husband, so stoic and assured, is f**king crushed. I’m FUMING. I will NEVER forget how they made my husband feel during one of the most vulnerable and special times in his life,” the mom wrote.

Most Unhinged Reaction To Naming Your Child?
byu/UWhatMate innamenerds

People who read this woman’s story were “livid” on her behalf, and rallied to give her some long overdue support.

“What on earth is wrong with Rosa???? It’s a beautiful name!! Tell your mother-in-law she is ridiculous and she can shut up immediately, if not sooner,” one person commented.

Another pointed to how truly ridiculous this situation was, writing, “The name is ROSA? I thought from reading this that it was at least going to be a controversial name. Rosa is beautiful. Even if it’s not your cup of tea, it’s hard to find anything wrong with it. OP should take this as the sign it is and reevaluate their individual relationships with that side of the family.”

Several even suggested going into little-to-no-contact mode with that side of the family, since odds are they wouldn’t prove any more helpful in the stressful postpartum days to come.

“Tell her she doesn’t need to meet baby if she is so insistent on the name being changed,” one person commented.

Sadly, sometimes stronger boundaries must be established with those who will not respect more lenient ones, especially when it comes to family members—and especially when it comes to parents trying to raise their kids in the most healthy environment possible. Hopefully these parents were able to move forward and enjoy welcoming little Rosa into the world.


This article originally appeared last year.

From Your Site Articles
community
Family

Mom shares the hard truth about men who want kids versus those who want to be fathers

There's a huge difference between the two.

via Canva/Photos

A lazy dad versus an attentive father.

Many men say they want kids, but does that mean they also want to take on the full responsibilities of being a father? That’s the big question at the crux of a recent viral TikTok post that everyone who wants kids with a man should consider. The question has traditionally been, “Does he want kids?” but Abby Eckel thinks we must dig deeper.

Abby Eckel is a social media influencer and blogger who discusses women’s rights, focusing on equal division of labor in the home. In her video, she breaks down the differences between the 2 types of men. “Men are taught to want kids, but not how to be dads. There are lots of men that want to have kids. There are fewer men that want to be dads, and it's really important, as women, that we discern between the two, because they're not the same,” Eckel says.

What’s the difference between being a dad and being a father?

“A man that wants kids, he's thinking legacy. He's thinking caring on the family name, having little mini-me's running around, having kids running around, the milestones, the highlight reel,” Eckel continues. “Very few men though, when they think about, ‘I want to be a father’, are they thinking about the daily grind task, the midnight feedings, the diaper changes, the to and from of the inevitable sports that they'll play.”

@abbyeckel

I cannot emphasize these differences enough.

Eckels question is fundamental because if someone mistakes a man saying “I want kids” with “I want to be a father,” they may unwittingly sign themselves up as the default parent in a relationship. They will have to assume the mental load of parenting because dad fails to take any initiative. In this arrangement, the dad simply becomes someone who plays with the kids on occasion and has to be told what to do. This places the default parent in a position where it’s nearly impossible not to develop some resentment for their spouse.

On the other hand, a man who wants to be a father will be proactive and an equal partner in parenting duties.



Eckel believes that a big reason why some men fail to step up and become fathers is because they weren’t taught to be nurturing as children. “We bombard boys with messages about being providers, protectors. But when's the last time you actually saw a boy being taught how to nurture? How many young male babysitters do you have on your roster? I don't have any. How many little boys do you see walking around with a baby doll, feeding her, changing her diaper?” she asked.

The post resonated with many of Eckel’s followers, who think there are a lot of men out there who aren’t stepping up and taking responsibility. “Same for being married. Do they just want a wife, or do they want to BE a husband,” Dana wrote. “Being a Father and being a Dad are 2 different things. Your father is the person who helped create you, your dad is the man who helped raise you. They're not always the same person,” Izzie added.

“If you really want to see how a family acts, go to any theme park and watch a family of three or more. You can see just how much the mother goes through in a day with the kids while the father eats snacks,” Athena commented.

Ultimately, Eckel says the difference between a dad and a father is someone who takes initiative. “So, before you have kids with a man, watch how they handle responsibility. Do they take initiative on things, or are they always sitting back waiting for you to tell them what to do? Do they notice what needs to be done without being asked?” she explained.

From Your Site Articles
fatherhood
Trending Stories