Close Ad

dad

Dad Catches Foul Ball While Holding a Baby & Drink at Dodgers Game Twitter Goes Wild
Uplifting News

Dad Catches Foul Ball While Holding a Baby & Drink at Dodgers Game Twitter Goes Wild

A triple play in baseball is rare. Unless you're this guy.Steve Pettit was at a recent Los Angeles Dodgers game with his wife and two kids when he made the play of a lifetime — catching a foul ball, one-handed, while simultaneously holding a baby and a beer. And if that isn't impressive enough, he did it without spilling a drop. LEGEND.The Ultimate Triple Play(Daily Mail)Pettit, a Glendale Fire Department engineer, has been going to Dodgers games since he was a kid. So, when a co-worker scored tickets from his brother-in-law, Tommy Edman with the St.Louis Cardinals, Pettit jumped at the chance to go.Pettit was holding his 16-month daughter in a carrier, beer in hand, when Edman stepped up to bat.The shortstop popped up a foul ball into the stadium's second deck, which in a bizarre twist, happened to be where Pettit was sitting.With his eye on the ball, Pettit did what any dad and baseball fan would do: He rose up, his baby strapped to his chest and still clutching his beer, raised his free hand, and plucked the ball out of the sky like it was NBD. And this may just be the greatest peak multitasking parenting move EVER."The ball just kind of came up, and it was kind of like slow motion," Pettit told NBC Los Angeles. "It was sort of like, ‘Boop!’ It just like came right to my hand."The crowd went wild, cheering and clapping. Even the sportscasters got in on the action, saying, "Dad's making plays! Niiiiice." And joking, "A beverage, a baby, and a baseball." Dad Catches Foul Ball and Twitter Has a Field DayThe LA baseball team posted a video of the epic catch to Twitter where it quickly hit the big leagues, scoring 1.2M views.Twitteratis applauded the dad's quick reflexes and multitasking abilities. Some called him a hero, "Not all heroes wear capes!"While others joked that he deserved a contract with the Dodgers, "3rd Dodgers catcher get him in here."One person tweeted, "dad power at dodger stadium is insane.”Another said, "He's MVP!!!""This is the trifecta of baseball and what we all as fathers aspire to. It’s the pinnacle. Triple BBB Baby beer baseball," said another.Other comments included, "Talk about dad energy," "What a catch!!! This should make the top 10 plays of the week!” and "Dodger dad didn't dodge."Pettit wasn't the only winner that day. The Dodgers defeated the Cardinals, 6-3, to complete the series sweep.Dads Are the Real MVPsThe proud "girl dad" didn't just catch a ball that day, he made a family memory that he'll never forget. And neither will his daughter. She may not actually remember THE catch but we're guessing that picture and video will be front and center for every single one of her life events. 'It was fun. It was just a fun moment to share with the family for sure,' Pettit said.Spoken like a true parent whose used to juggling all.the.things. and doesn't think twice about doing it. Because when it comes to multitasking, everyone knows, parents are the true MVPs.

Son Brings Hard-Working Dad To Tears By Announcing He Made It To Major League Baseball
Uplifting News

Son Brings Hard-Working Dad To Tears By Announcing He Made It To Major League Baseball

A viral video shows a hard-working father tear up as his son surprised him at work after signing a Major League Baseball contract.A dream come trueThe MLB draft came and went, and Robert Anthony Cruz went undrafted. To take his mind off the disappointment, he played the game Minecraft.Then, something incredible happened.He got a call from the Washington Nationals baseball team who said they'd be interested in signing him as an undrafted player.“I hadn’t spoken to scouts in at least a week, so I was thinking I probably wasn’t being considered,” Cruz, who cried tears of joy with his mom, Cynthia, told The Washington Post.Cruz wanted to tell his dad, Ron, about the good news, but he didn't think a phone call would do. So, he and his mom swung by a nearby Lids store to pick up a couple of Nationals ballcaps to bring to Ron at work.Tears of joyIn a Tiktok video that now has nearly 17 million views, Cruz showed up at the auto shop his dad works at and went to meet his hard-working pops as Cynthia recorded."Surprising my dad at his work with the news that I just got signed by the Washington Nationals," Cruz wrote in the video, before adding in the caption, "My name wasn't called in the draft, but I got a surprise free agent contract."“What happened?” Ron, 61, asked, before noticing the baseball cap on his son's head. Then, the two gave a long, emotional hug as Ron started to tear up. “Oh, my God, congratulations, son. I’m proud of you.”Ron CruzHard work pays offCruz told The Post that his dad has always been there for him through thick and thin.“Since I was about 9 years old, my dad has always thrown me batting practice whenever he gets off work,” Cruz said. “He’ll work a long day, and I’m sure he’s tired, but he’s never said no one time. Last summer, with covid and everything, I didn’t have anywhere to train. He was throwing me batting practice every day after work. It was super special to be able to celebrate him a little bit with that video because he’s the hardest worker I know.”Cruz said he plans to put his photography business and degree in Christian ministries on hold as he pursues a full-time career in baseball. He also plans to cheer for a new team instead of his hometown LA Dodgers.“I guess now I’ve got to like the Nationals, just out of obligation, even though they took my team out in 2019,” he said.We can't accomplish our dreams aloneWe all have dreams, but the thing with dreams is that they can take years and years of hard work to come true — especially ones that involve becoming a pro athlete. So it was truly special to be able to witness the moment that it all paid off for one new MLB player. But what was even more special about this video was how instead of sharing the moment he got offered a contract, he showed the one person who helped get him there. Because at the end of the day, it takes a strong support system to help any dream come true.More uplifting stories:4 Years Ago, He Was Homeless–Today, He Bought His First HousePoor Man Who Missed Job Interview To Save A Life Had Employers Lining Up To Hire HimDomestic Abuse Survivor Marries The First Responder Who Saved Her LifeBrooklyn Landlord Cancels Rent For Hundreds Of Tenants, Setting An Unprecedented Example For Others

Devoted Husband Surprises Stepdaughter By Proving He Is Here To Stay
Uplifting News

Devoted Husband Surprises Stepdaughter By Proving He Is Here To Stay

The title of stepdad wasn't good enough for little Camryn. She wanted her mom's husband's last name.He one big wishMike and Sarah Rousell just got married in March 2021, but they'd been together for five years. But Mike and Sarah didn't come into the relationship on their own. They both had their own two children from previous relationships. Still, the whole family meshed and became one big unit. However, having Mike as a stepdad wasn't enough for Sarah's daughter Camryn. She wanted Mike's last name. Stepdad surprises her at schoolYears later, an ABC video showed Mike surprising Camryn at school with a colourful sign that read:"I gave you my heart five years ago, and now I give you my last name."Mike RousellSarah then pops out and shows a sign that says: "It's official! Camryn Rousell."She got her wishWith her mouth agape and about to cry, Camryn speedwalks towards Mike who picks her up for a giant hug. Then Mike starts crying, and as does Sarah when she gets her chance to pick up Camryn."Our adoption, for me, was me fulfilling that promise to Camryn that I was always going to love her...and just to let her know I wasn't here by accident," Mike told ABC."He has always been that type of person to always be there for me and encouraged me," Camryn said. "He has been there for five years, but it's felt like he's been there my whole life."One big happy familyWhen a partner gets married to someone that's not your biological parent, things can get dicey. Other times, it's meant to be. In this situation, it looks like the Rousells couldn't be happier, especially Camryn, and if a big happy family isn't uplifting I don't know what is. More uplifting stories:Single Man Adopts 5 Special Needs Kids To Offer Them The Care They DeserveDad Kicks Out Teen Son For Being Gay, Wife Instantly Breaks Up With Him12 Warning Signs You’re Currently Being Manipulated by a NarcissistDoctors Weren’t Sure 1-Pound Baby Would Survive – So They Did The Unimaginable And It Worked

Gay Son Comes Out To Mormon Dad, Gets Shocked For All The Right Reasons
Uplifting News

Gay Son Comes Out To Mormon Dad, Gets Shocked For All The Right Reasons

Before his first missionary trip, Mormon Austin Swink had something important to tell his father — and his response invokes all the feels.Coming out is never easyComing out to a parent is one of the hardest things someone can do, but it was even harder for Austin Swink because of his faith.Still, Swink felt he had to do it ahead of his first missionary trip for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and to give the world an inside scoop, he kept his phone video on during the conversation with his father.In the video posted by USA Today, Swink struggles at first, but soon says what he needed to say right off the bat: "I'm gay." “I got this feeling that I just needed to get it off my chest before I left, because it was weighing on me for so long, not saying anything,” Swink later told the publication.His dad gave a caring responseWithout hesitation, Swink's dad, Vaughn Swink, replied: "Are you okay, though?"Austin says "mhm," but Vaughn wanted to be clear: "No, but I'm saying worthy wise.""Yeah, I know I just—""Austin I don't care. I don't care," Vaughn repeated. "You're okay."The dad then asked his son, "Are you a child of God?"Austin agreed. "Okay. That's fine," the dad concluded.Making a difficult moment easierWe've all seen enough movies, heard enough stories or experienced it ourselves to know how harshly parents can react to someone coming out — and how devastating that can be for a child. So regardless of whether you have the same faith or not, it's uplifting to hear this dad's kind words in one of the most important moments of their lives.More uplifting stories:Instagram Influencer’s Ridiculous Attempt At Fat-Shaming Woman Quickly BackfiresWoman Unceremoniously Dumps Toxic Boyfriend After Constant Body ShamingWoman Too Heavy For Her Scale Has Major Wake-Up Call And Loses Over 200 Lbs In 1 YearMen Get Caught Harassing McDonald’s Worker, Sparking Outrage About A Harsh Reality

Furious Dad Stands Up For Daughter Sent Home For Perfectly Reasonable Outfit
Uplifting News

Furious Dad Stands Up For Daughter Sent Home For Perfectly Reasonable Outfit

Apparently, a dress with a turtleneck underneath it is too distracting for a Canadian school's male teachers.Sent home in tearsKaris Wilson, a 12th Grade student at NorKam Secondary in Kamloops, British Columbia, was told her outfit — a black knee-length dress over a white turtleneck — made the teacher and his assistant (also male) uncomfortable. So, they sent the 17-year-old student to the principal's office and she was told to go home. According to her dad, Christopher, she cried the whole way. "I'm disappointed in the system," he said in a Facebook video, according to CTV News.“She’s wearing a turtleneck, under a black dress that goes to her knees,” he added. “This is absurd."A sexist dress codeWilson said he spoke with the school principal and asked for their dress code and was shocked to see that it said “not to wear clothing that is distracting to teaching or learning."“Change needs to happen,” Wilson said. “You can’t talk to students like this. These are little humans that you’re supposed to get excited about learning and the rest of their life, not demoralize them, beat them down and send them home.”Christopher said that his daughter was on board with her father sharing his disappointment. "She said, ‘You know what, it’s OK because if we make any change for someone that comes behind me, then it’s worth it.’”The school district has its tail between its legsA representative for the Kamloops School District told CTV that they were "concerned about these allegations and are treating them seriously." However, it wouldn't share a copy of the school district's dress code despite repeated requests."Whenever a parent is concerned about their child at school we want to work with them for the best outcome for the student."Unsatisfied, students gathered outside the school for a small protest where they chanted: "I stand with Karis."And it seems that the protest worked. In April, InfoNews.ca reported that the district is in the process of revamping its dress code and has already removed the part that says clothing "worn in a way that detracts from the teaching/learning process" is forbidden.See? Change can happenThe fact that this teenager was sent home for wearing a turtleneck is absurd, but the main thing to take away here is that women and girls cannot be blamed for what they wear because it makes men "uncomfortable." That is sexism, plain and simple. You'd think that society should know that by 2021, but clearly there's still work to be done. Fortunately, this school district seems to have changed course — but only thanks to Karis and her dad for doing the right thing and speaking out.For more uplifting news:Man Gives Up First-Class Seat So 88-Year-Old Woman Can Fulfill Lifelong DreamPoor Man Who Missed Job Interview To Save A Life Had Employers Lining Up To Hire HimMan Saves Up For A Year And Surprises Wife With Key To Dream HomeBrooklyn Landlord Cancels Rent For Hundreds Of Tenants, Setting An Unprecedented Example For Others

Single Dad Abruptly Abandoned By Mother Of Baby Discovers Power Of Vulnerability
Motivation

Single Dad Abruptly Abandoned By Mother Of Baby Discovers Power Of Vulnerability

Just a month after baby Persephone was born, her mother left her with the baby's dad. But through hard work and willingness to ask for help, the single dad managed to take care of his daughter just fine. Thrust into being a single dadBack in 2015, Richard Johnson was blessed with a baby daughter, Persephone. But just a month after she was born, the baby's mother abandoned her family.Unprepared and unsure of what to do, Johnson gobbled up every book and YouTube video he could find. He also turned to a Facebook group called Life of Dad that was a "major confidence booster" and helped him get through this challenging period.One day, Johnson wrote a Facebook post about his situation and to thank the group for helping him get through. Then, the post went viral. In the caption, Johnson explained that he doesn't know why Persephone's mother left — he expects postpartum depression played a role. But either way, he needed help, and the support from the Facebook group helped him get through. It takes a villageJohnson received so much support (the post has 95,000 reactions) that he decided to start his own page chronicling life as a single dad.Johnson documented how Persephone had holes in her heart and needed surgery. Again, he turned to his community on Facebook for support.Incredibly, Persephone's surgery was successful, even baffling the surgeon. "The doctor was amazed and had said, 'I'm amazed but I don't understand how this is quite possible. I had a few colleagues take a look and they agree had they not known the previous issue, you'd never be able to tell there was anything wrong from the start,'" Johnson wrote on the post.Johnson's love life worked itself out too, as he revealed on the page that he was seeing a woman named Jennifer who cared for Persephone like a mother.In a touching birthday post a month after her surgery, Johnson told Persephone how much his life changed now that she's in it."They say the child learns for the parent, however I feel I am learning more from you than you ever could from me. I look at you and can't just help feel like everything will work out the way it should," he wrote. "I'm going to give you the world one day Miss Lilith. I'll work myself to death to do it. Everything you can ever want will be yours or I'm going to die trying."A happy endingThrust into the unknown of parenthood all on his own, Johnson did the right thing — he looked for help wherever he could get it. He did his own research and was vulnerable enough to tell those that helped him how much he appreciated them. In return, the community continued to support him and undoubtedly played a role in raising Persephone — they say it takes a village to raise a child.More uplifting stories:Rude Client Rejects Single Dad For Bringing Daughter To Work, Community Has Best ResponsePoor Man Who Missed Job Interview To Save A Life Had Employers Lining Up To Hire HimDomestic Abuse Survivor Marries The First Responder Who Saved Her LifeWoman Cruelly Teased By Bullies For Her Appearance Gets The Last Laugh

Dad Salts Road At His 38-Year-Old Daughter's Workplace So She Doesn't Fall
Uplifting News

Dad Salts Road At His 38-Year-Old Daughter's Workplace So She Doesn't Fall

A 38-year-old woman's dad has gone viral for his sweet and simple act of kindness.A simple act of kindnessNo matter what age you are, good dads never stop caring about their children. Case in point, the father of Elizabeth Bautista Boyd.He went out of his way to drive to his daughter's workplace on an icy day, waited for her to arrive, and proceeded to pour a trail of salt from her vehicle to the front door so she wouldn't fall. By the way, she's a fully-grown adult of 38 years old. Boyd decided to take photos of her dad in the act and post it on Facebook. Since then, this dad's good deed has gone viral.This dad impacted a lot of peopleIn a time when so many haven't seen their dads in months — or even a full year — due to COVID-19, this sweet father's small act of kindness resonated with a lot of people. As I'm writing this, the post has nearly 150,000 reactions and over 12,000 comments.Georgia Bowen Buchert wrote: "This brings tears to my eyes. What a blessing to be so loved."Teresa Burkhart said this dad reminded her of her own father. "So Happy you still have your Dad mine has been gone 15 years I miss him everyday."Kendra Christian Cosey seemed a little bit jealous. "Where are y’all finding these kind of parents? Please let me know because I want one. I slipped and fell and my mom laughed. "Katie Jean got emotional: "I’m literally crying. How freaking sweet. I just can not handle it."Kindness is kindness, big and smallWhile kindness can be conflated with heroism i.e., climbing up a burning building and saving a stranger, or rescuing a kidnapped girl. Kindness can also be simple day-to-day things that strung together lead to a wonderful life both for you and for those around you.More uplifting stories:Single Man Adopts 5 Special Needs Kids To Offer Them The Care They DeserveDad Kicks Out Teen Son For Being Gay, Wife Instantly Breaks Up With Him12 Warning Signs You’re Currently Being Manipulated by a NarcissistDoctors Weren’t Sure 1-Pound Baby Would Survive – So They Did The Unimaginable And It Worked

Single Man Adopts 5 Special Needs Kids To Offer Them The Care They Deserve
Uplifting News

Single Man Adopts 5 Special Needs Kids To Offer Them The Care They Deserve

A single, gay man won't take credit for his kind and caring work raising five children who each have specific needs.Adoption was difficult at firstAt first, it was a long and difficult process for Ben Carpenter to adopt a child. He's single, gay, and when he adopted his first kid he was just 21. "When I started it was much longer and I had to prove myself," he told This Morning, according to The Daily Mail.Now at age 36, Carpenter says adopting is "fun and swift" after taking in five kids and he won't rule out fostering or adopting more."I just wanted to be a dad," he said. "I always wanted to be a dad. I think parenting is much more than being biologically linked to the child."Each child has specific needsCarpenter, from Huddersfield in England, used to work in special needs care and decided to take his work home with him by adopting five children between the ages of two and 13 — Louis, Jack, Ruby, Lily, and Joseph.Each child has their own specific, complex needs.Jack, the eldest, has autism and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Ruby has Pierre Robin syndrome, which affects movement in her face and arms. Lily is Ruby's biological half-sister and she's deaf (Ben knows sign language). Joseph has Down Syndrome and needs a colostomy. Finally, Louis is blind and has cerebral palsy. Ben also adopted a sixth child, Noah, but he died at the age of two after a stomach infection led to complications."They are the most wonderful children, you know people say 'the children are lucky to have you,' but I'm so lucky to have them. They enrich my life in every way."Ben CarpenterWhen asked on This Morning if he views himself as some sort of hero, he said no."I'm just me I'm not a superdad, I'm not this saint, I'm not this hero. I'm me, I'm Ben and anyone who knows me knows—" and then Ben was cutely interrupted by one of his kids who said "you're dad."All caring parents are heroesBen might not be a superdad, but he sounds like a very kind person to take on the burden of caring not for just one special needs child, but five. Still, parenting isn't a competition. Whether it's one child or 10, any caring parent can be heroic if they care for and love their children.More uplifting stories:4 Years Ago, He Was Homeless–Today, He Bought His First HousePoor Man Who Missed Job Interview To Save A Life Had Employers Lining Up To Hire HimDomestic Abuse Survivor Marries The First Responder Who Saved Her LifeBrooklyn Landlord Cancels Rent For Hundreds Of Tenants, Setting An Unprecedented Example For Others

Abandoned In Dumpster As Baby, He Vows To Make Adoptive Dad Proud - Now He's A Millionaire
Motivation

Abandoned In Dumpster As Baby, He Vows To Make Adoptive Dad Proud - Now He's A Millionaire

Freddie Figgers was left to die, but thanks to a knack for technology he went on to become a billionaire. Still, he never forgot about the man who helped him the most.Thrown away in a dumpsterFreddie Figgers' life had a devastating start. Just hours after being born, his mother, a drug addict, tossed him in a dumpster.When he was discovered, Figgers was put into the foster care system and quickly taken in.Figgers' foster family had fostered 100 kids before him and had only adopted two, but there was something about Figgers that they couldn't leave in the system. "They were nearing 70, so adopting a newborn baby wasn’t part of their plans, but having seen the ordeal I’d been put through, they didn’t want me to go through the care system," Figgers wrote in a heartfelt story for The Guardian.He was obsessed with computers from a young ageFiggers was raised in a small town and was called "Dumpster Baby" by mean kids at school. "I thought: did somebody really throw me away? Am I trash or a person? It bothered me for a long time but I overcame it. I had a mother and father who loved me," Figgers wrote.Instead of relying on friendships, Figgers turned to computers. His adopted father bought him a $24 Macintosh computer from a flea market. It didn't work, so Figgers pried it open and figured out he needed to get it running. "I took parts from the clock radio to put in the computer," he wrote. "After about 50 attempts, I got it to work."At just 12, Figgers got his first job as a computer technician at city hall. "By 14, I’d started writing code; after that, I remember sitting at a computer for two days in a row without even being hungry," he wrote. "I loved it.Figgers went on to help move a car dealership's files to the cloud and did the same for other companies."I was earning good money at 14, but I was always saving because I knew I wanted to start my own telecoms company."Freddie FiggersHe built technology that helps othersFiggers' adopted father wasn't like other dads due to his age. At 70, he couldn't really throw a ball around very well. When Figgers was 17, his father's age really caught up with him as he was diagnosed with dementia. That meant he'd wander off in the middle of the night without a shirt on — but he'd always wear shoes. "I took one and embedded a circuit board in the sole, which had a speaker and a sensor," Figgers wrote. "When my father left the house, I could go to my phone or computer and say, 'Hey, Dad, where are you?' and my voice would play from the speaker in his shoe."The young entrepreneur managed to sell the technology for $2.2 million and planned to buy his dad the fishing boat he'd always wanted. But he was too late. Figgers' dad died 48 hours after his son became a millionaire.He never forgot the people who helped him mostInstead of buying a boat, Figgers invested in things to help people such as a meter for diabetics to share glucose levels via Bluetooth. "By 24, I’d developed 80 custom software programmes," he wrote.Now a 31-year-old millionaire and CEO of Figgers Communication, he runs a foundation that helps children in foster care — just like he was.Figgers said he wouldn't have been able to get to this point without his loving father."I owe my parents everything because they showed me compassion and the power of having good people around you," he wrote. "I never heard my father yell or get angry. He died in 2014, but ever since I was a kid, I knew that was the pair of shoes I wanted to step into."Love can move mountains It certainly isn't easy to adopt a child and there are so many stories about children desperate to reconnect with their birth parents. But adoption can also be a beautiful, life-changing act. Despite not sharing DNA with a child, parents can have a deep bond that helps to influence a young life. Who knows, that adopted child might grow up to become a millionaire.More uplifting stories:4 Years Ago, He Was Homeless–Today, He Bought His First HousePoor Man Who Missed Job Interview To Save A Life Had Employers Lining Up To Hire HimShe Was A Teenage Runaway And Homeless Mom - Today She’s A MillionaireBrooklyn Landlord Cancels Rent For Hundreds Of Tenants, Setting An Unprecedented Example For Others