You might say you’re not a dad until you tell your first dad joke, don your first pair of dad jeans or spend your first Saturday afternoon swearing at the grill because you can’t get it to light. Dad stereotypes are hilarious because they hit the mark — they nail just how weird and wonderful the “dad tribe” really is.
Probably like most new parents, I thought my husband was going to be the exception to the rule. I knew he would be a loving, caring, hands-on dad, but surely he would maintain his coolness, even after we had kids? While I personally think my husband is still cool — and he’s not wearing New Balance shoes with khakis just yet — he has undeniably turned into a dad in just a few years.
And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Of course, every dad is unique, but there are a few universal dad quirks that should be celebrated.
1. Daddy-jacking on Facebook
Image: Lamebook
Social media etiquette, what is that? There’s nothing more beautiful than that moment when Dad cuts in and makes a perfectly normal Facebook status really, really awkward.
2. Dad dance moves
Besides an open bar, it’s one of my all-time favorite things to watch dads of all ages hit the dance floor at a wedding. Just wait until their generational jam comes on, and they’ll all be doing the robot or waving their hands in the air like they just don’t care.
3. Dad deep thoughts
Image: Herspanic.Tumblr
Dads know things. The boundless fountain of dad wisdom always reminds me of a stern-yet-loving Wonder Years moment. “Do you think money grows on trees?” “I might have been born at night, but it wasn’t last night.” “You’ll thank me when you’re older.”
4. Dad devotion
Image: Imgur
Dads like to keep it short and sweet, but it’s their consistency that shows they care. According to the OP, this was the exact text he received from his dad all through his first year of college. Read between the lines: This is one devoted dad.
5. Dad hacks
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Only a dad would come up with the brilliant idea to freeze single servings of SpaghettiOs in an ice cube tray. Shudder.
6. Dad humor
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I can tell you from years of living with my husband that Dad humor is always a little off-color and a lot unexpected. Case in point: Here’s what happened when one mom left her darling little girl alone with her husband for 10 minutes.
7. Dad jeans
Mom jeans are horribly unflattering, but don’t think dads are exempt. Dad jeans may have started as far back as the 1990s with the SNL “Bad Idea Jeans” commercial parody, but most dads didn’t get the memo that it was a joke. They’re still wearing them today.
8. Dad jokes
Image: Imgur
My husband’s dad jokes are the best and the worst part about his transition into fatherhood. On the one hand, the merciless dad puns make me laugh out loud. On the other hand, dad jokes make me roll my eyes so hard that I get a headache. Here’s a perfect example from the glorious Dad Jokes sub-Reddit: “Dad hands me a candy. Me: ‘Wonderful!’ Dad hands me another candy. Dad: ‘Two-derful!'”
9. Dad photobombs
Image: Imgur
You know this hairy-chested dad is going to be congratulating himself for the rest of his life on the most epic prom photobomb yet.
10. Dad pranks
Image: Reddit
I hate pranks with the fire of a thousand suns, and my husband thinks they’re hilarious. Above, you’ll see one of the most classic dad pranks of all time in action. For shame.
11. Dad reflexes
Image: Reddit
Want proof that dad-like reflexes are actually cat-like reflexes? This dad doesn’t even turn his head to save his toddler daughter from an inevitable bump on the noggin.
12. Dad surprises
When a dad wants to surprise his kid, he pulls out all the stops. In one perfectly tear-jerking example, we see a Navy dad overwhelm his teen daughter with his surprise return. Dads are like that.
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