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43 Photos That Prove Dads Are Parents, Not Babysitters

Fatherhood comes with all the same chaos, exhaustion and love.
By 

Senior Reporter, HuffPost Life

Though studies have shown that dads are more involved in their kids' lives than ever, many people still use the word "babysitting" when referring to fathers taking care of their children.

As HuffPost blogger Jenny Witte wrote, "Calling a dad a 'babysitter' serves to devalue the role that fathers play in their children's lives, which is just as important as the role mothers can play."

"Although barred from some of the obvious tasks like actually giving birth and breastfeeding, dads can kiss owwies, have tea parties, remember school snacks, wipe butts and noses, soothe little ones to sleep, and parent with the best of them," she added.

When describing her husband's role as a father, blogger Rachel Toalson noted, "Though I appreciate all he does, it is not exceptional. It is called being a parent."

We asked the HuffPost Parents Facebook community for photos that they think best capture the reality of fatherhood and received hundreds of chaos-, exhaustion- and love-filled images.

Here are 43 funny and heartwarming photos that show being a dad is about parenting, not "babysitting."

1
Katie Clitherow
"This is my husband being ordered into a bright pink fairy costume by our assertive 2-year-old. It's what all the hip metrosexual dads are wearing!"
2
Tammy DiGregorio
"Playing in the park because your daughters ask you to!"
3
Sarah Chavez Mendes
"Singing a song and learning new music!"
4
Kate Lawr
"Sharing a love of books with our munchkins!"
5
Brittany Miller
6
Shanna Freer
"Little guy just had surgery for a broken arm and just wanted his daddy."
7
Jennifer Zylstra
"Just another Saturday washing our family vehicles with five of our six girls."
8
Elysa Archibald
"He works out of state and wears the baby a lot while he's home to soak up as many cuddles as he can. Our toddler wanted in on the fun."
9
Madelyn Barber Davis
"Like father, like daughter ..."
10
Colleen Cerritelli
"And they said the hayride would be fun!"
11
Sophie Yasin
"My husband and our two daughters teaching him how to accessorize."
12
Marasco Trisha
"Giddy-up Daddy!"
13
Heather Kalenak
"Expert multitasker."
14
Ember Martin Taylor
"He 'shares' his bed with our 2-year-old son after a late night wake-up."
15
Desiree Sneddon
"Riding the slides with his girls."
16
Joy Hanking
"Figuring it out!"
17
Heidi Furst Thompson
"This is our 1-year-old teething on Daddy's ear."
18
Kellie Holliday
19
Sonja Smith Fallon
"Proud moment for father and son as they catch their first fish together!"
20
Charlene Sea Volk
"Painting our rental while juggling fatherhood."
21
Renee Addario Evelyn
"Sometimes you let your 3- and 6-year-old kids have their way with you, which might include masking tape all over your head. Now that's a good Dad."
22
Ma Rie
"My husband wanted to show our daughter that putting hair ties in your hair isn't all that bad. (A daily struggle for us.)"
23
Christina Anderson
"Fatherhood is weekends spent doing what the kids want to do!"
24
Kristina Lambert
25
Beth Kim
"Crazy hair day!"
26
Alecia Clark
27
Troy Kranz
"We have good days and we have bad days. Moments like this make it all worthwhile."
28
Rosellen 'Petrillo' Miller
"Being their real-life hero (he just got back from a 6-month deployment)!"
29
Danielle Logan
"Parenting is stopping to smell the roses."
30
Amber Elalami
"With two toddlers, life is blissfully chaotic. All the time!"
31
Andrea Young
"My husband practicing counting with our youngest daughter."
32
Zoe Young
"I love watching these two enjoying each other's company."
33
Rachel Mongillo
"He was working insane hours and really needed the nap ... but she had other plans for his downtime."
34
Vanessa Monico Ward
"My husband, from Australia, teaching our son to brave the ocean."
35
Amanda Clarke
"Just two dudes hanging out on the grass, watching the world go by."
36
Sharon Gauvin Moya
"Aria loves napping in Daddy's arms."
37
Erika Norris
"Our little one loves everything superhero, especially daddy's favorite -- Batman. So 'Batman' made a special visit to Brianna one night and I've never seen her happier! This is fatherhood."
38
Tina Lopez
"90 degree weather but he carries this princess around the lacrosse field wearing her crown.... Because it was too hot for her to wear!"
39
Darlene Chan
"Quality time after a long day at work!"
40
Marie Laurence Léger
"Playdate at its best."
41
Maarla Denham Milligan
"A constant jungle gym for our girls."
42
Erin Watt Miller
"My husband and our new baby Charlotte. Someone's smitten ..."
43
Lynn Prudente

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Dad Illustrates Kids' Hilarious Quotes

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