74
June 2009
Parents
your life
FAMILY
Designer Dad
After having children,Chris Pegula, aka TheDiaper Dude, realizedthat diaper bags were waytoo feminine for guys tocarry with any enthusiasm.So the Santa Monica,California, dad decided todesign his own line and inthe process changed howfathers deal with diaperduty (no more totingbaby’s gear in a gym bag).Pictured here with Cole,4, he has two other kids,Juliet, 7, and Kai, 9.
The DadsHall of Fame
They may forget to pick up their socks, but fathers will also pullout all the stops for their kids. Meet the newest members of
BY JODY MACE AND RACHEL MORRIS
L U N C H B A G S : B R Y A N M
C
C
A Y . C A R E L L A N D B L A C K : W I R E I M A G E . S A N D L E R : G E T T Y I M A G E S .
76
June 2009
Parents
your life
FAMILY
Blogging-for-Good Dad
J
eremiah McNichols
started
zrecs.com
(namedafter his daughter, “Z,” 4.) to advocate for retailsafety in children’s products and to report on hisrigorous testing of kids’ gear (don’t miss thesippy-cup section). Over the last few years,he’s turned it into a blog network devoted tobringing together
über
-useful, slightly geeky(but way cool!) parenting sites on topics rangingfrom gardening with kids to DIY crafts.
PEE
IN
YOUR
PANTSFUNNY DADS
These hilarious fathershave all brought theirhumor to the kiddie screen(
Bedtime Stories, Kung FuPanda,
and
Horton Hears aWho!,
respectively).
DAD WHO MAKES LUNCH FUN
Every day during hisown midday break, father of three
Derek Benson,
of San Diego,decorates a sack with a full-color cartoon character for each kid.Seriously? See for yourself at
lunchbagart.tumblr.com.
Adam SandlerKids: Sadie, 3, andSunny, 7 monthsJack BlackKids: Samuel, 3, and Thomas, 1Steve CarellKids: Elisabeth Anne, 7,and John, 5McAuley carrieshis daughteracross the finishline. Go, Dad!
Dad Who Goes the Distance
T
here’s a lot that 7-year-old Mary McAuley, of Hendersonville, Tennessee,can’t do. Born with cerebral palsy and su
ering from epilepsy, she’s con-fined to a wheelchair, can’t speak, and needs a feeding tube to eat. Buther dad,
Tommy McAuley,
has helped her achieve awesome physical feats.They are a father-daughter triathlon team. McAuley pushes Mary in a specialstroller for most of his runs, pulls her along in a trailer when he bikes, and tugshis child in an inflatable raft as he’s swimming. T.E.A.M. McAuley (older broth-ers, Grant, 11, and Gri
n, 9, are members too) raises money and awareness forother families with special needs to get equipment to participate in triathlons.The biggest reason for racing is Mary. “She loves the feeling of not beingdisabled, spending time with her family, and the wind blowing through her hair,”says McAuley. How can he know this about a child who can’t speak? “If you sawher contagious smile, you’d have no doubt,” explains this proud dad.
T H E O B A M A S : A S S O C I A T E D P R E S S . D I N O S A U R : S A F A R I L T D .
your life
FAMILY
DADS WHO HELP DADS
Troy Jones
(left, with Matilda, 3) is from Los Angeles, and
Sam Holt
(with Hugo, 3) hails from Australia. Togetherthey created
Being Dad
for fathers-to-be worldwide to getthe lowdown from fellow dudes about pregnancy (so youwant to have sex with your eight-month-pregnant wife?)and birth (yeah, he’ll come out as clean and cute as in themovies!) and other stu
they might not even think to ask.
FIRST DAD
President
Barack Obama
’s fierce love for his kids,Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, is impossible to miss. His commitmentto keeping children’s issues at the forefront of his agenda hasus hopeful for a bright future for all of America’s families.
“Cool Hand” Dad
W
hen
R
obert Haag
’s son, Michael, wasborn five years ago without a fullydeveloped left arm, Haag was stunnedto learn that prosthetic hands for infants wereessentially useless because the “forefinger” and“thumb” were connected to each other and thereforeimmobile. That’s why Haag, of Atlanta, came up witha simple fix. He cut just-for-show appendages apartso that his son could at least hold a block or apacifier like other children. And thus beganHaag’s quest to make prosthetics useful to a child(see one below). He turned a Spider-Man fishing rodinto a “fishing arm” by altering the pole toscrew onto Michael’s prosthetic socket. Hisgoal isn’t only to improve Michael’s lifebut to help other kids too; he shareshis designs online at
openprosthetics.org.
DAD OF INVENTION
When
Jim Whitney
’s daughters were ages 3 and 5, thisToronto dad found himself watching his kids playand wondering why there wasn’t a toy that couldbe assembled and reconfigured in di
erentlife-size shapes. “I wanted something thatcould be a cave today, a pirate ship tomorrow,and a castle the next,” he says. “Oh, and you’dbe able to drape sheets over it for hiding.”Voilà! The Crazy Fort was born.
Expecting yourfirst? Get yourhubby this DVDfor Father’s Day!
When his songot into dinos,Haag turneda T-Rex toyinto a funprosthetic.
78
June 2009
Parents
Want one of these? Check out
crazyforts.com.
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