Happy Father’s Day, pandas! If you’re a dad, we hope you feel appreciated today. And if you have a dad or father figure in your life, don’t forget to send them a heartfelt message or give them a big squeeze if you’re fortunate enough to be in the same place. 

In honor of all of the dads out there who are currently telling corny jokes, coaching football practice and cooking up mouth watering pancakes, we've scoured the internet to find some of the most wholesome pics of fathers being awesome. Keep reading to also find a conversation with Casey Palmer, aka Canadian Dad, and be sure to upvote the pics of men you think deserve to be deemed World’s Best Dad!

#1 I Donated A Kidney To My 5-Year-Old Son

Image credits: summerson

To learn more about what it’s like to be a great father, we reached out to dad and blogger Casey Palmer, aka Canadian Dad, who was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda. “What I love most about being a dad almost a decade into the journey is seeing the people that my children are becoming after years of trying to instill as many values, abilities and traits as I could in them along the way,” Casey shared. 

“At nine, my eldest can scramble eggs and is starting to catch up to me in video games, and the seven-year-old is ever-inquisitive, learning everything he needs to know to carry him through his days,” the Canadian Dad continued. “Nothing's perfect, but I love figuring it all out with them!”

#2 My Dad Kept Asking To Come Over After He Missed My Son's First Birthday Party Because Of Covid. Turns Out He Made Him 8 Custom Wooden Toy Cars

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#3 My Dad Had Passed Out After Taking Care Of My Sick Brother All Night

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When it comes to what the most challenging parts of being a dad are, Casey says, “What I didn't fully appreciate about being a dad before I became one is how much of myself I'd need to give up in order to do so. Before kids, I enjoyed a life spent gallivanting around town hanging out with friends, stuffing my face, and enjoying everything my city had to offer.” 

“But after fatherhood, it was like all of that went away in the blink of an eye, and I needed to find new things to fit in my life that took new routines and responsibilities into consideration,” the father explained. “It took some years, but I feel like I'm at a place where I'm finding my way again, and the kids are old enough that they're joining in right alongside me.”

#4 This Cake Looks Better Than The Ones In The Shops

Image credits: CellyyCat

#5 So I Was Getting Ready To Crop This, But Just Look How Happy The Dad Is

Image credits: Danielle Lightner Photography

#6 When I Was Two, I Gave My Dad A Stuffed Beluga Whale To Keep In His Work Bag So That If He Ever Missed Me, He Could Hold It And Think Of Me. 18 Years Later, My Dad Still Has It

Image credits: yung_holmie

When asked if having a sense of humor is a requirement for being a great dad, Casey responded with a question for me: “Is water wet?”

“Having a good sense of humor will help you get through so many of the challenging situations that life will throw your way,” the Canadian Dad noted. “Kids complaining about being hungry? Tell them: ‘Hi, hungry, I'm dad!’ Foul moods at the dinner table? Tell your worst dad jokes to cut the tension and bring everyone together with a collective groan! Fatherhood needs you to not only learn to laugh at situations, but also learn to laugh at yourself, because no dad is perfect, and the sooner you can embrace that, the smoother your parenting journey will be!”

#7 My Brother Was The First To Graduate With A Master's In My Family. My Dad Couldn't Stop Crying

Image credits: Jay_no_pho

#8 My Dad Sent Me This Photo Of A Tank He Made For His Cat

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#9 You Scroll Past, Thinking It's A 10-Year-Old Boy

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Casey also had some wise words for any soon-to-be dads out there. “Becoming a father isn't the end of the world - it's just the start of a new chapter!”

“When my wife told me we were expecting in 2013, I suddenly found myself trying to accomplish everything on my bucket list that I could, because a baby meant that I'd have no time to do any of the things I wanted to do,” the father noted. “But I couldn't have been more wrong - children don't subtract from your life; they add to it!"

#10 My Dad Visiting USA For The First Time, And His First Wish Was To See A Clean River

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#11 My Dad Deserves The World

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#12 My Dad Met My Son For The First Time Yesterday. I've Never Seen My Dad So Happy

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“Where I just acted without thinking before, suddenly every decision I made had a potential consequence that could impact someone else's life forever,” Casey explained. “[Being a father,] you get a different appreciation for time, becoming hyper-aware of what you need to give up to do the things you want. But it will profoundly affect you in ways you can't imagine, and it makes you better for it!”

If you’d like to learn more about the Canadian Dad or hear more words of wisdom from him, be sure to check out Casey’s website right here!

#13 My Dad Enjoyed A Tea Party With My Daughter And Niece

Image credits: canipetyourdog21

#14 I Went Home For The Holidays And My Birthday. My Dad And I Fell Asleep. I Love This Picture So Much

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#15 She Wanted Pink, So Pink It Is

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Having a great father figure in your life, even if he is not technically your dad, can make a huge impact on you. A loving father makes their family feel safe and secure, teaches their children valuable life lessons, and provides a role model for what it means to be an excellent partner and parent. Sadly, we don’t all have the opportunity to grow up in a home where Dad is present, but according to research, growing up with a father reduces a child's chances of engaging in risky, delinquent behavior and committing crimes.

While moms and dads are both wonderful, Vanessa LoBue, PhD explains for Psychology Today that they do tend to interact with their children in slightly different ways. So kids benefit from the unique ways that their fathers play with them just as much as they benefit from Mom’s style of play. Apparently, fathers tend to play more physically with their little ones, jumping on trampolines and playing sports and games such as tossing their baby in the air and catching them. While these activities aren’t every parent’s cup of tea, paternal physical play is associated with positive outcomes for children, LoBue notes.     

#16 Then He Gave Me $20. It Was Like A Reverse Ticket

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#17 Three Generations Feeding

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#18 I'm A Dad Of 2 Girls Under 10 With Split Custody. As They've Gotten Older, There Are Times They Get Too Embarrassed To Tell Me Things. But I Got This Idea, And It's Working

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Dr. LoBue goes on to note that dads have been known to encourage their children to take greater risks than mothers typically do. “For example, dads might encourage kids to try riding a bike on their own, or to jump off the high dive at the pool,” she writes. “Importantly, dads don’t encourage risky behavior in a reckless way; they tend to provide a safe and secure environment with supervision while encouraging kids not to be afraid of new things. It’s not that moms don’t encourage their kids to try new things that might be potentially scary, it’s just that dads tend to do it more.”

#19 These Dads Are Awesome

Image credits: Jerica_Phillips

#20 My Son Asked My Dad If He Knew Where To Find Treasure. My Dad Made A Map, Hid Magic Treasures Around Our Property, And Took Him On A Treasure Hunt

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#21 My Dad Sent Me This Picture Of Him And One Of My Hens

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When it comes to what makes dads so great, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the beloved dad jokes. Of course, you don’t need to actually be a father to enjoy this corny style of humor, but we must admit that dads are artists when it comes to making silly puns and jokes that will cause audiences to roll their eyes. But according to the British Psychology Society, we shouldn’t be quick to dismiss dad jokes as bad humor, or accuse our fathers of being unfunny. 

“That would be a mistake,” Marc Hye-Knudsen writes. “When considered properly, dad jokes are an intricately multi-layered and fascinating phenomenon that reveals a lot not just about how humor and joke-telling work but also about fathers’ psychology and their relationships with their children.”

#22 My Dad Tried To Ruin My Photo, But This Is Now My Favorite Photo

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#23 Parents Got Snowed In At The Lake House. Mom Sent Me This, And Said "Your Father And His Friend Are Out Of Control"

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#24 The Dogs Were His Audience

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Hye-Knudsen explains that “dad jokes work on at least three levels: as puns, as anti-humor, and as a kind of weaponized anti-humor when dads use them to teasingly annoy and/or embarrass their children.” When it comes to puns, however, Hye-Knudsen says they don't all qualify as dad jokes because they must not only “deliberately say at least two different things at once,” they must also be “terminally inoffensive.” They can’t be sexual in nature or inappropriately crude. They have to be wholesome and family friendly, which makes them prone to receiving eye rolls or being deemed lame, but being stupid can sometimes actually make dad jokes even funnier.    

#25 My Dad Went From "I Don’t Want That Dang Cat" To Carrying The Cat To Her Room For The Bed Each Night

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#26 My Dad Celebrating His 100th Birthday

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#27 My Dad Is Afraid To Fly, So When I Was 5 Years Old, I Made Him A Doll To Hold On While Flying. Mom Just Sent Me This Picture. He's Packed To Come To Visit Me

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“Telling a joke that is so lame or unfunny that it doesn’t deserve to be told out loud is itself a violation of the norms of joke-telling, and this can in turn make the dad joke funny,” Hye-Knudsen explains. He goes on to say that we often start setting up our jokes by shifting our tones or making it clear that we’re leading up to saying something funny. However, “dad jokes flagrantly violate this norm by following up this shift with a thoroughly tame pun. A dad joke can thus be so stupid, so lame, so unfunny that this paradoxically makes it funny.” Therefore, if we view dad jokes as a form of ‘anti-humor,’ we just might be able to appreciate them.

#28 My Dad Loving The Sight Of His Son Being A Dad

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#29 My Son And My Dad Hadn't Seen Each Other In Quite A While. When They Met, They Both Couldn't Stop Smiling

Image credits: Liz4984

We hope you’re having a wonderful Father’s Day, pandas, whether you’re a dad of your own or not. We know this day can be tricky if you’ve had a complicated relationship with your own father, but we hope there’s someone in your life you can celebrate today. (Even if it’s your mom! She can have two days!) Keep upvoting the pics that melt your heart, and feel free to share what you love most about your own dad in the comments below. Then, if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda article that celebrates the world’s best dads, look no further than right here!

#30 Last Minute My Wedding Photographer Suggested I Do First Look Photos With My Dad. I Think His Reaction Shows How Lucky I Am To Have Him As My Father

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#31 My Dad Sent Me A Picture This Morning And Said: "It Finally Happened"

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#32 My Dad Drives A Special Needs School Bus, And This Year He Invited All The Kids To His House To See Santa Claus. He Also Purchased Gifts For All The Kids For Santa To Give Them

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#33 The Baby Looks Extremely Pleased About It

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#34 I Wrote This When I Was 8 Years Old In A Very Bad Hand-Writing. I Wrote: "Daddy Is My Dearest Person. Daddy Is The Most Precious Person." He Kept It In The Wallet Until He Died

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#35 My Friend, A Single Dad, Drove 8 Hours To Take His Daughter And Her Friend To See Harry Styles

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#36 I Told My Dad He Was Having A Grandkid Before His Birthday Picture Was Taken

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#37 My Dad Got Me Right In The Feels Today With A Wallet

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#38 As A Dad, Giving My Daughter The Hairstyle That Makes Her Feel Like A Queen Always Is A Win In My Book

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#39 My Father-In-Law Said He Is A "Big Tough Farmer"

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#40 Having A Daughter Means You Have To Encourage Her Interests, And Step Out Of Your Comfort Zone. Not Only To Make Her A Better Person But To Also Make Yourself Better

These moments are the moments that she will remember forever!

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#41 My Dad Made A Sculpture For Me

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#42 Dad Being A Dad

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#43 My Daughter Wanted To Be The Little Mermaid, So I Didn't Have Any Other Choice

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#44 This Guy Kept His Hand In This Position For More Than 45 Minutes So His Daughter Could Sleep Well

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#45 The Look On His Face

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#46 My Dad Just Got His First Cellphone, And His First Call Was To His Older Brother. His Smile Is Melting My Heart

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#47 They Look So Similar

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#48 Before Bed, My Daughter Put A Grow-A-Pony In A Bowl Of Water. I Replaced It With This

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#49 Apparently, My Dad Has Been Wanting A Pair Of Overalls For Years. I Bought Him A Pair And He Sent Me Pics. He's So Happy

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#50 My Dad Had An Eye Surgery, And My Mom Asked Where He Wanted To Go For Lunch After. So Here We Are

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#51 Yes, This Is My Dad. He's 37, And No, He Isn't Single

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#52 A Chicken Stroller

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#53 I've Been Sick Recently And Couldn't Leave The House, So My Dad Sent Me These Pics. He's Coming Home With The Game I've Been Saving Up For And Taco Bell. He's The Best

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#54 Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures

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#55 Happy Father's Day. Here Is My Favorite Photo I Have Of My Dad And I

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#56 I Told My Dad That His Wish Will Come True, Because He's Going To Be A Grandpa

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#57 This Father And Daughter

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#58 I Went Fishing With The Lil Guy. He Hasn't Stopped Talking About It. He'll Tell Anyone That Listens. I Love Seeing Him That Excited

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#59 My Dad's First Look At My Baby Sister In Her Wedding Dress. He Is Normally A Tough Guy. This Hit Us All In The Feelings

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#60 Me And My Child Having A Bath Time

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#61 I Was Visiting My Parents Today, And My Dad Decided To Photobomb My Afternoon Nap

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#62 Taking My Daughter Camping Is One Of My Favorite Parts Of Being A Dad

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#63 Just Trying My Best Form My Baby Girl

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#64 So My Dad Got Bored And Made Bernie Sanders Meme

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#65 My Niece (6) Loves Santa Claus. My Dad (76) Loves My Niece. Dad's Been Growing That Beard Since May

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#66 How My Dad Differentiates Netflix Users On His Account

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#67 My Dad Likes To Volunteer As A Batman, Bringing Joy To Kids Fighting Cancer At A Children's Hospital

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#68 Never Ask Your Dad To Bring You Stuff To School

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#69 This Dad

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#70 My Dad, Who Has No Idea How To Cook, Knew I'd Be In Meetings All Day, So He Woke Up Extra Early And Made Me Pancakes. They Tasted Awful, But It Was Such A Wonderful Surprise

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#71 I Told My Step-Dad I Prefer The Orange Jelly Beans, And This Morning I Found Him Sorting Them Into A Jar For Me

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#72 Fatherhood With A House Full Of Daughters

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#73 My Father Reading To My Daughter. My Heart Just Melted

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#74 I'm 22 Years Old, And I Live On My Own In A Different State. I Am Fully Capable Of Taking Care Of Myself. But My Dad Still Sends Me Care Packages And Buys Me Snacks

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#75 This Dad Sends Photoshopped Pictures To Mom Whenever She Asks How Kids Are Doing

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#76 My Father Smuggled Cheese Slices Into A Local Burger Joint. He's Rebelling Against Their $0.60 Upcharge

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#77 Dad Level: 3000

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#78 After Supporting Manchester United All His Life, My Dad Finally Caught The Match Ball In Paris On Wednesday

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#79 I Went To A Daddy-Daughter Dance, And Our Previous Year's Picture Was Used As The Showcase. My Daughter Felt Like A Superstar

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#80 "I Can't Even Watch Your Dad Sometimes" - The Text I Received From My Mom This Morning

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#81 My Step-Dad Is In His Mid-60s And Still Rolling Around Like It's Nothing

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#82 This Man Was Reading The Lord Of The Rings To His Children, And It Reminded Me Of My Mom. I Hope To Be That Kind Of A Parent Someday

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#83 My Dad Finally Upgraded His Phone And Is Now Traveling And Taking Selfies Everywhere. I Thought This One Was Worth Sharing As He Looks So Happy

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#84 After Hundreds Of Hours Of Use, Both Of My Controller's Analog Sticks Recently Stopped Working. Luckily For Me, My Father Was More Than Willing And Capable Of Fixing It

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#85 She's Too Young For Comic Con, So My Little Girl And I Had A Comic Con At Home, Where She Got Front Row Seats At A Panel Featuring Her Favorites

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#86 My Dad Is 87 Years Old, And He Came To Help. After A Few Minutes, I Found This And Not Him

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#87 He Was In A Silly, Goofy Mood

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#88 Daughter Wants To Work In The Garage With Her Dad. Needs Hair Pulled Back. Dad Hack 101

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#89 My Father-In-Law Turned 80 Years Old This Week And Was Wearing Exactly The Same Outfit As In The Photo From The Last Year That We Put On The Cake

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#90 My Father Making Fun Of My White Girl Photo Pose

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#91 My Girls Opened Up A Salon

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#92 This Note My Dad Wrote To Get Me Out Of PE

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#93 Today My Dad Called Asking For A Hand With Something, But Instead, He Drove Us To A Tattoo Shop To Get Our Ears Pierced Together

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#94 Napping In Style

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#95 "Go To College, They Said. You'll Get Away From Your Parents, They Said"

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#96 My Dad Gives All The Kids $100 Every Year In A Weird Way, And This Year He Went All In

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#97 The Difference Between My Mom's And Dad's Notes

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#98 I Found Out That My Dad Saves The Sodas He Gets With His Take Out Over The Week For When My Sister And I Come Over

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#99 My Dad Made Me Take Pictures For His Dating Website. Here's Him Yelling At Me While Striking A Sexy Pose

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#100 My Dad Drove 41 Miles To Buy This And Then Shipped It With 5 Pounds Of Nuts. Never Stop Being Silly With Your Kids, Even When They're Grown

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#101 My Son And My Dad Hadn’t Seen Each Other In Quite A While. They Both Couldn’t Quit Smiling