A Single Father Showed Up in a Dress to His Sons’ School for a Sweet Reason

According to a study, single mothers make up the majority of single parents, yet we rarely hear about solo fathers who build their own families and look after their children. Whether you’ve been divorced, had a breakup, or even experienced grief, being a single father can be a life-changing challenge.

Many fathers have successfully rocked this role and raised their children without making them feel the void of an absent parent. Chatchai “Sam” Panuthai is one of them, and he recently did something remarkable that his kids will always cherish.

At Bright Side, stories like this always bring us joy, so today we’ll share with you what this father has done to make his children’s day more memorable.

Panuthai and his wife are divorced

Because the absence of another parent can leave enormous gaps in a child’s development, it is vital for the remaining one to fill those voids and function as both. As a single father, you may be anxious and disappointed, managing both children and finances, and you may be concerned about your family’s well-being, but despite all that, single fathers can raise their children successfully.

In Panuthai’s situation, he has overcome these challenges, but not without hardship. “Sam” is a Thai single father from Kanchanaburi. Imsome and Ozone are his 2 sons. After the divorce, the children’s mother moved to Europe, and Panuthai has been caring for his family, serving as both mother and father.

The school held a Mother’s Day event

On August 12th, Thailand commemorates National Mother’s Day. When all of their classmates arrived with their mothers, Panuthai planned something special to celebrate the day, so that his sons did not feel left out. A close friend of Panuthai, Kornpat Ae Sukhom, posted a video of the event, declaring: “He wanted the children to not feel left out because their mother left them.”

When the school hosted a celebration for the students and invited their mothers, this father took charge and dressed up. Panuthai dressed in pink to resemble a mother’s image and to remind his children that they did not differ from their peers.

As we can see in the video posted on Facebook, during these rituals, children often sit at their mom’s feet to express their gratitude for everything she has done, and Ozone and Imsome can be seen doing the same with their father.

This tender moment touched everyone.

Panuthai’s friend, Kornpat Ae Sukhom, captured this wonderful time between the father and his sons on camera and posted it on Facebook with the description: “Best mom of 2018.” The video quickly went viral, garnering over 6 million views and warming the hearts of all who saw it.

“Everyone enjoyed it and laughed and took photos with him,” Sukhom said. “His 2 sons weren’t quite sure what was going on and why Dad was wearing a dress.”

Single parenting stereotypes are still a thing.

It is evident that a gender gap exists between single fathers and single mothers. Though it is difficult for men to be single parents, society views single moms and fathers differently. Actions that appear obvious when performed by a woman, like domestic tasks or childcare, appear startling when performed by a man.

It is commonly believed that childcare is predominantly a female thing, and lone males are considered to be less competent at parenthood and hence lauded or praised for taking on the primary caregiver role.

Panuthai wants to normalize being a single father, ensuring that others understand he is simply carrying out his responsibilities and making his children happy. Donning a dress is an irrefutable gesture that wishes to emphasize that no matter who or what, children should never feel left out as long as they have someone taking care of them.

Do you believe there is still a difference in how men and women handle parenthood?