What went viral this week: Two fathers who are #dadgoals + mamas helping mamas

This kindergarten father is total #dadgoals

As Today reports , dad Jamie DeSpain is going viral for making his kindergarten daughter’s day by taking her stuffed cat, Sophia, to work with him and putting her to work.

DeSpain’s oldest daughter, Hadley, had been taking Sofia the cat with her to school as she made the big leap into kindergarten this month, but last week her dad realized she’d forgotten Sofia in the van when he’d dropped her off at school. DeSpain didn’t want to cause an interruption at school, so he just brought Sofia into work with him and began texting his wife, Erica, photos of Sophia doing work around the office.

“I kind of have a goofy streak and Hadley really appreciates goofiness,” Jamie DeSpain, who lives in Madison, Alabama, told Today Parents. “Combine that with her love for stuffed animals…[it] made for the perfect dad setup.”

He took pics of Sophia taking phone calls, doing emails, having coffee and even having a pensive look out the window, which DeSpain captioned: “wondering what Hadley is doing.”

When dad got home, his daughter was thrilled with her stuffed animal’s big day out and was happy to be reunited with both her father and Sofia. Hadley was so thrilled with the experience that she asked her dad to repeat the mission the next day with her stuffed dog, Mocha. The cotton-filled canine was spotted doing various office tasks and, of course, drinking some coffee. 😂

Hadley’s mama says her husband’s antics were a welcome bit of fun and helped the family remember that while kindergarten is a big step, Hadley’s still a little kid (and it seems her dad is too, at least at heart).

“Sending Hadley off to kindergarten has been a big transition for us as a family, but this activity reminded us that she’s still little,” Erica DeSpain said.”We want to soak up that childlike wonder as much as we can, and this activity was a great way to do just that.”

We think office buildings are about to see an infestation of stuffed animals!

This father’s viral Instagram video is total #dadgoals

Father Jimmy Howell has gone viral for giving his 9-month-old daughter Kensley an adorable pedicure.

“She got a little crazy with me today due to the fact that I was filing her nails a little too rough, y’all see why I can’t do anything for free, I’m charging her next week, just watch,” he captioned the video he posted to Instagram.

“Kensey, this is free,” He jokes in the video after Kensley seems to protest the spa service for moment. 😂

With the power of dad humor, Howell not only got the baby’s toes clipped (which is hard to do!) but got her laughing, too. He says he has weekly “spa talks” with his daughter, so it’s no wonder his baby nail skills are so on point.

Viral kindness: “Please ask me if I have sunscreen”

We have all been there—sometimes you’re the one who needs an extra diaper and sometimes you’re the one who has one to give. The point is, every parent needs help sometimes and most are happy to pay it forward when it is their turn to give a diaper to a stranger in need.

Wisconsin mom Shelby Beck captured this perfectly in a Facebook post this week after she went to the park with her daughter and a fellow mama had to ask her for a favor.

When the stranger approached Beck, she could tell she was uncomfortable. “She shrugged her shoulders and quietly said ‘I’m embarrassed to even ask, but do you happen to have sunscreen we can use?’ As if she was somehow ashamed that she forgot to pack sunscreen today.” Beck wrote.

She continued her Facebook post with an open letter to parents who find themselves in the same situation as the sheepish stranger.

“Dear fellow mamas,

Please ask me if I have sunscreen. Ask if I have baby wipes, diapers or even extra snacks.

Ask me if your toddler can sit down and play with us while you find a shady bench to nurse your newborn.

Hand me your phone and ask me to take a picture of you with your sweet babies – we all know mamas aren’t in enough photos.

Ask for help. Ask for love. Ask for anything.

Even though we are strangers, please ask me.

It’s not easy being responsible for little humans but it’s easier if we help each other out.
We’re all in this together.❤️”

We could not agree with Shelby more. Mamas helping mamas is a beautiful thing (and asking for sunscreen could even lead to making a mom friend!).

Oh, and one last thing…

Oh, and if you need a good cry this weekend, check out this viral Michael Bublé video that has parents everywhere crying about our kids growing up . Team Motherly could not get through it without sobbing! Just like summer, their childhoods will be over before we know it so take some time to connect with your babies this weekend. They’re off to kindergarten today—off to college tomorrow! 😭