Dad cheers up daughter who had accident by having one too
Part of being a parent means going to extremes for your children, but would you risk personal humiliation just to see your kid smile? This dad did when he pretended to have peed his pants in order to console his humiliated daughter.
Father Ben Sowards of Cedar City, Utah recently received a call from his wife Connie, saying that their six-year-old daughter Valerie wanted to be picked up from the school where she attends kindergarten.
It turns out that Valerie had had an accident and was crying to go home.
Ready to go! When Ben Sowards of Cedar City, Utah heard his daughter had had an accident at school, he splashed water on the front of his pants to give the appearance that he had too
'My heart just kind of broke.' When Sowards picked up his daughter Valerie, six, from kindergarten, she laughed and smiled at his show of solidarity
Sowards told BuzzFeed News that when he heard about his daughter's predicament, his 'heart just kind of broke'.
So, before Sowards headed out to retrieve Valerie from school, he splashed water along the front of his light-colored pants, giving the effect that he, too, had had an accident.
When Sowards arrived at the school office where Valerie was waiting, he asked his daughter for her backpack so he could cover up his own 'accident.'
This stunt instantly transformed Valerie's tears into laughter. 'It was so funny,' Sowards said.
The pair posed for photos showing the matching condition of their pants, which Sowards's older daughter Lucinda, 17, posted to Twitter.
Lucinda posted the pictures with obvious pride in her father, and dubbed his actions a '#dadwin.'
Nothing to see here: After learning of her dad's supportive move, Sowards's older daughter Lucinda, 17, posted photos of her dad and sister to Twitter, where they were praised
Family portrait: The Sowards clan is comprised of 11 children in total, and also acts as a foster home for youth
Many responded to the tweet with praise for Sowards's parenting style and his willingness to stand by his daughter, even in the most uncomfortable of situations.
Others questioned whether the stunt might actually make a child feel more embarrassed - but judging by the grin pictured on Valerie's face, her sentiments are just the opposite.
A common thread throughout the Twitter comments were comparisons to the 1995 Adam Sandler film Billy Madison. A scene in the film shows Sandler's character pretending to have peed his pants in solidarity with a young friend who had an accident.
Though Sowards's act of kindness may seem extreme to some, it appears to be typical of the Sowards clan, which maintains a strong focus on family.
The Utah-based family, which boasts 11 children, also works as a foster family for to-be-adopted youth. It seems that taking care of others, no matter the cost, is simply part of the Sowards lifestyle.