An actor is carrying his wife’s breast pump parts around all night at the Golden Globes. The former president is speaking up about being weepy and struggling to assemble a lamp as his daughter moves into her college dorm.
There’s been a lot of it these days, and many would say it’s an absolutely great thing.
It’s dads being involved and engaged. It’s them literally shouldering some of the burden. It’s papas being emotionally attached, physically present, and ready to help with anything they can.
When parents are present, loving, and helpful, how could it be a bad thing?
Some point out, though, that maybe it’s a bit unfair that fathers make the national news when they carry a breast pump around for one evening (whereas many mothers spend hours pumping, cleaning parts, and more every day). Some people out there just want to be sure that we all remember that perhaps dads should be expected to be committed and involved parents, just like their female counterparts.
Men get major props for doing the basics of parenting, but moms don’t make headlines when they carry around pump parts or change another diaper.
Whether you think it is newsworthy when Daddy lends a helping hand or you roll your eyes each time you see another gender-biased headline, you might enjoy taking in tales of these 15 celebrity fathers who inspire major #dadgoals.
15 Ian Somerhalder Inspires Admiration
Actor Ian Somerhalder made headlines on all the major parenting and baby sites and then some when it was shared on social media that he carried his wife’s breast pump around in a cardboard to-go box all night at the Golden Globes recently.
On Sunday, January 7, the new parents to a 5-month-old baby packed along what some referred to as an extra little accessory.
Moms to babies both brand-new and well into toddlerhood know that milk needs to be expressed at the same regular intervals to obtain nutrition for the baby, relieve discomfort for mom, and help to prevent engorgement, clogged ducts, and mastitis.
Basically, if you’re breastfeeding, a pump (and its parts… and washing and sterilizing them…) often become a very regular and very necessary part of your everyday life.
Thanks to this dad, momma got to go to the Globes without carting around a huge tote bag.
14 Chris Hemsworth Doing Dad Work
Sometimes, it’s the hugs, kisses, and cuddles that matter the most. And apparently it wasn’t always the norm for dads to be so openly affectionate with their children, sons especially.
Thank goodness we live in a time in which many men change diapers, wear their infants in baby carriers, and quite freely dispense hugs and kisses!
Also, thank goodness that one of these dreamy dads is Chris Hemsworth – and that his wife, Elsa Pataky, sometimes shares photos of him doing it on Instagram.
On June 2, 2016, she shared this swoon-worthy one of the father of three resting all cuddled up with the kids on a plane.
He may be a Hollywood hunk in movies like Thor, but he also keeps it real – and real snuggly – on the home front.
13 Dreamy Dad David Beckham
Being a huge soccer star does not stop this man from being a hands-on dad. The British “footballer” has taken to social media more than once to share very sweet photos of himself snuggled up with his little ones in touching and intimate moments. His fans and followers adore him for it.
On January 31, 2016, he posted this gem of him with his son Cruz, who was 10 years old at the time, to Instagram.
The caption he included only made it better. “Cuddle with my little man… #cuddlewithcruzie <3,” he typed alongside the snap.
He’s also seen in various other sweet dad endeavors, often involving him providing comforting care to his lucky offspring.
The 6-foot-tall stud, married to former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham since 1999, is dad to Brooklyn, Romeo, Harper, and Cruz.
12 Chris Pratt On Parenting A Preemie
Actor Chris Pratt is already a loveable type of guy, whom many of us were introduced to in hit show Parks & Rec. And he’s also a proud dad.
"I've done all kinds of cool things as an actor: I've jumped out of helicopters and done some daring stunts and played baseball in a professional stadium, but none of it means anything compared to being somebody's daddy," Chris Pratt said about his toddler son, Jack, whom he had with then-wife Anna Faris.
He spoke at the March of Dimes Celebration of Babies in 2014. His own son was born an entire nine weeks early, and the little one was required to spend some time in the NICU.
Of being a father to a premature baby, Pratt shared, "I made promises in that moment about what kind of dad I wanted to be, and I just prayed that he'd live long enough that I could keep them.”
11 Justin Timberlake Gets His Swaddle On
I cannot imagine possibly having a newborn baby around and being the only one to change its diaper or swaddle it up snuggly for a good sleep. Most moms and dads I know tackle these types of tasks together – thank goodness.
And even someone as famous as pop singer and funny guy Justin Timberlake knew he better learn how to do these important basics, too.
"I can't wait to see our greatest creation yet," he said at an awards event a few weeks before his son Silas (with wife Jessica Biel) was born. "Daddy's heading home right now to innovate by learning how to change a poopy diaper and get my swaddle on!"
Bringing sexy back, getting his swaddle on… It’s all in a day’s work for this singer and star.
10 A Baby-Wearing (John) Legend
Chrissy Teigen, baby Luna, and singer husband John legend are inescapably famous, apparently. Even for someone who doesn’t have cable, watches very little TV, and follows very few celebrities on Instagram, it’s been impossible not to learn who these people are – and know that they (especially model Teigen) are open about sharing details of their pregnancy and parenthood journeys.
Here are a couple of shots that are really easy to love of Legend doing a bit of baby wearing. In my neck of the woods, this is not uncommon – for the dad to wear the baby in a front pack, hiking backpack, or some sort of carrier, but it is often the mom who wears baby close in a fabric sling, Ergo, or Baby Bjorn.
Good on him for bonding with baby – and for promoting baby wearing to the world in doing so.
9 Bruce Willis, Snuggling Soundly
Well, if you have little ones in your family, you probably understand on a very profound level just how important cuddling can be to a toddler. It can calm a storm of a tantrum, say I love you so much better than any existing words, and help both parent and child feel connected amid the greatest chaos.
And it’s certainly not just for moms.
Good for Bruce Willis for settling in a for a good snuggle with his 4-year-old daughter, Mabel, and good for his wife, Emma Heming, for sharing this snap to her Instagram on July 12 of this last year.
She captioned the post with the hashtag #daddysgirl. Awww.
Though he’s been a buff and brutal-seeming action star for decades, he’s sometimes just a dad in a plain white T cuddled up comfortably with his baby. (He has five girls total, BTW.)
8 Mark Zuckerberg Makes Diaper-Changing Records
The man behind Facebook, in 2016 at the age of 31, was a brand-new dad to a little girl named Max. He was in Berlin accepting an award from a German publisher, speaking to a crowd about topics such as data protection and hate speech on Facebook.
He was also asked by an interviewer about his young daughter. That’s when he reportedly confessed to playing a little game to challenge himself when it came to diaper duty.
After a smile, he said, "I'm a pretty competitive guy, so, I eh ... I timed myself to make sure that I can get better and better and better over time."
He continued that "I got it down to, like, 20 seconds. So, I think that's pretty good, right?"
His wife, Priscilla Chan, supported the claim: "It's true," she said. "When there's no 'accidents'!"
7 Jason Biggs Blossoms After Birth Of Son
In 2014, after just one month of fatherhood, the funnyman actor shared how much his new role had already affected him, and from there it just got better and better.
“What I’m learning — and what’s interesting — is that my wife has changed completely, and I’m sure that I have too,” he said. “She sees it in me, and I see it in her, and we’re stronger now because of it.”
His wife is actress Jenny Mollen, and their son Sid certainly changed things for them, as newborn babies have a way of completely transforming life for their parents / families.
“That change that happens is so tangible. It happens overnight, and it’s the craziest thing,” he told one interviewer.
The dad and mom often share sweet pics of Biggs doing all sorts of sweet (and funny) dad stuff.
6 The Rock’s The #1 Man For #2s
Oh, Instagram. Thank you (we think…) for giving us detailed glimpses into the everyday lives of both people we really know and crazy-famous celebrities.
That’s where Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson went to share a picture of himself with a huuuge smile on his face as he changed a poo-poo diaper for his 8-month-old little girl in July of 2016. (Hey, wonder if he’s having fun with potty training right about now? Food for thought…)
He’s hunched over changing the little one’s diaper in what was reportedly a private plane. He apparently didn’t think his back would be thanking him for this later, but duty called! And he answered.
The ultra-famous actor, former wrestler, and of course father typed a funny caption and gave himself a little high-five of sorts with a strong flexing arm and “100” emoji.
5 Barack Obama Bawls Like A Baby
Okay, maybe he didn’t really bawl, but it was reportedly a weepy day for the kind father, age 56, who helped with moving his daughter into the dorms at Harvard University.
Malia Obama, age 19, moved in with the other undergrads in August 2017, and the beloved former president has shared some quite endearing details of how that day went.
What some moms may appreciate is that while he confessed to David Letterman to being emotional, he also shared that he was of little help. His daughter tried to include him by asking him to put together a desk lamp, but apparently it sort of took him forever. He was also sure to mention that meanwhile, mom Michelle was “scouring the bathroom” and getting everything else organized in closets and set to go. Even little sis Sasha, 16, helped make the bed and fold clothes.
So while it’s great that he was there, moved by it all, and helping, maybe it’s even more great that he gave kudos to all the ladies in his life.
4 Chris Rocks The Right Attitude
Sometimes it’s all about how a dad approaches parenthood, and this quote from Chris Rock (in 2012 during an interview for NPR's Fresh Air) kind of says it all:
"When I hear people talk about juggling or the sacrifices they make for their children, I look at them like they're crazy, because 'sacrifice' infers that there was something better to do than being with your children. And I've never been with my kids and gone, 'Man, I wish I was on my stage right now.' I've never been with my kids and gone, 'Man, it'd be so great if I was on a movie set right now.' But I've been doing a movie and wished that I was with my kids; I've been on tour and wished that I was with my kids. Being with my kids is the best, most fun thing; it's a privilege. It's not something I call a sacrifice."
3 Ricky Martin’s All About The Love
Ricky Martin’s son Matteo, who was born via a surrogate in August of 2008, asked, “Dad, was I in your belly?” Here’s how the pop star and dad replied: “… I told him, 'You were in my heart, and you are still in my heart.'" The father of two went on, "So I explained further, because I couldn't just leave it at that: 'There was a woman that I adore with all my heart that helped me bring you into this world. She lent me her belly so that you could come, and when you were born, she put you in my arms.' And he said, 'Ah, ok,' and he kept playing."
What a beautiful thing for a father to cherish his children so!
Some people just know that they really, really want to be parents!
2 Kevin Hart Parents With Heart
The comedian is also a proud dad, and he shared as much on Instagram with some photos of him and his son on his wedding day.
The two dudes look dapper and smile together, and dear dad couldn’t help but get sentimental. He captioned the post with the words, “Moments like this will never be forgotten. My son makes me proud on a daily basis.”
Being sentimental, emotional, and saying that you’re proud – perhaps it’s things like these that make for a great dad (and parent in general).
Hart is an incredibly famous funny guy, now 38, and his son was reportedly 8 years old last year when these special photos were taken.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he was looking down at how grown up his little guy was looking in that tux and wondering where the heck the years went.
1 Will Smith: The Fresh Prince Of Fatherhood
He’s been many things to many people. To me, for example, he will forever and always be the Fresh Prince of Bel Air – and the star of Bad Boys 1. And Bad Boys 2.
Plus, let us never, ever forget that he was also a top-selling rapper, and he knows more than anyone how to get jiggy with it, whatever that might mean.
From these austere accomplishments to Men In Black to his more serious roles of today, he is surely and most certainly a star.
But he’s also a real and caring dad, as he showed with what many thought was a quite swoon-worthy Facebook post for his daughter, Willow, upon the occasion of her 15th trip around the sun.
For his girl’s birthday on October 31, 2015, he posted a throwback picture and wrote, “When you were born it took about 2 seconds to realize that I was willing to die for you. Thank you for correcting my heart – and teaching me how to love without constriction [sic] or condition.”
Sources: People.com, Parents.com, ETOnline.com, Cosmopolitan.com, USMagazine.com, Today.com