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Group of Swedish dads bust out singing at play dates with their kids and holy moly

Their pitch perfect harmonies have made them a viral sensation.

Dad Harmony/Instagram

Dad Harmony singing with their kids

Seeing a group of young dads hanging out with their young children on playdates is already incredibly wholesome. But add in some a cappella singing in harmonies that enrapture those same children? Come on now.

That's what you get from the five Swedish fathers who make up the group Dad Harmony, a viral sensation that started with some friends just casually singing together.

The dad "boyband" hails from the northern town of Skelleftea, Sweden, and consists of two brothers, Peter and Tomas Widmark, and their friends, Michael Aberg, Sebastian Åkesson and Adam Stenlund.

“This story all started at my bachelor party,” 33-year-old Peter Widmark told the AFP. “We were hanging out and singing as we usually do when we hang out in the bath [jacuzzi]…(and) my brother filmed it and put it on TikTok with his seven followers.”

The song they were singing was "The Wellerman," a sea shanty that was all over social media during the pandemic. The next morning, the video had 40,000 views, and it shot up to 20 million within a couple of weeks.

The friends decided to start recording themselves singing various popular hits a cappella, which led to a formal band name, Dad Harmony, as well as studio recordings and a European tour.

Their beautiful harmonies have captures people’s attention around the world, but the videos that include their kids are particularly popular. Most often, the dads are sitting around a living room or dining room table holding babies and small children, just singing away. The kids seem to enjoy it, too, with Widmark explaining, “It’s a s soothing thing when we sing.”

Each of the dads has two kids and works normal day jobs like sales and janitorial. As far as singing with their kids, Widmark's brother, Tomas, told AFP they are "typical Swedish guys" who simply spend a lot of time with their children.

"Almost every guy in Sweden is used to taking paternity leave, so it's not a big deal for us," he told the AFP.

People gush in the comments of their videos:

"These kids are so lucky! They get the chance to listen to their dads creating these magical sounds (when most of other children of their age are spending their time on tablets ..)"

"I absolutely love how the kids are always seen in these videos. Never hidden but loved so much and loving the beautiful music being made 😍"

@dadharmony

#onecallaway #dadharmony #acapella #charlieputh #dads #singing #singingdads #pippi


"Every time I get to see and listening you I get so emotional!! The way the children listen!!! And the newborn is already inside the circle of love!! Thank you guys!!! 💕"

"Gorgeous! And those kids will grow up with such an appreciation of music. So important."

"Kids growing up thinking this is casually every dinner table … 'Oh, your family *doesn’t* sit at the table and sing vocal arrangements?'"

"So much admiration for these Dads who clearly make family a priority and the focus on blending their voices into a beautiful harmony that soothes those children as they listen. What an incredible legacy they are creating for their families. How inspiring!"

And no, the kids don't always sit still. Sometimes they squirm. Sometimes they dance.


@dadharmony

I guess now we’re dancing as well 🙈 #standbyme #beneking #dadharmony #singing #dads #acapella #harmony #children #father #dancing

But there's no question they are getting an unusually extraordinary experience growing up with these "dad harmonies" surrounding them.

You can follow Dad Harmony on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, and find their tour dates on their website.

And if you're curious about which dad sings which part, the five of them answered that and other reader questions here:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

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Modern Families

Dad's incredible 5-minute time-lapse of his daughter's life took 20 years to create

Frans Hofmeester diligently filmed his daughter every week for two decades.

Hofmeester/YouTube

Dutch filmmaker Frans Hofmeester filmed his daughter every week for 20 years.

Anyone who has raised kids knows the truth of the saying, "the days are long, but the years are short." Parenting when you're in the thick of it can feel neverending, but in hindsight, the time goes by too fast. Kids grow and change so constantly, it's hard to keep up. You blink and suddenly your baby becomes a toddler, your toddler becomes a kid, your kid becomes a teen and your teen becomes a full-fledged adult.

As time goes by, you try desperately to document it while also staying in the present. It gets harder with each kid, as life gets busier. (A commonly joked-about reality is how the first baby gets an elaborate baby book and the last baby gets a few photos on a hard drive somewhere.) But one dad purposefully set out from the start to create a record of his daughter's growth and change, and the result is nothing short of extraordinary.

Dutch filmmaker Frans Hofmeester started filming his daughter Lotte for just a handful of seconds a week starting as a newborn. It's the kind of thing a lot of parents might plan to do or start doing but not stick with. Hofmeester kept it up, though, always filming Lotte in front of a plain cloth background. Putting the videos together as he went, he created a time-lapse of her growing up, which has received viral attention multiple times as he's released updated compilations every few years.

In 2019, Hofmeester shared the "Portrait of Lotte 0 to 20 years" video, in which we can see Lotte grow from an infant to an adult in just five minutes.

People found the video surprisingly emotional, even though they don't know Hofmeester or Lotte personally. Indeed, seeing someone's entire childhood zoom through time like this is moving, even if we don't have kids of our own. We've all been through the growing-up process ourselves, we all have a flood of memories from our formative years and we all know how quickly it all goes.

Those of us with kids see our own children in this video, which is even more striking than seeing ourselves.

"I wanted to document the growing up process and create an artistic project we could all enjoy forever," Hofmeester shared in another video. He has also created the same kind of video for his son, Vince. In an article in The Guardian, Hofmeester explained why he decided to dedicate himself to the project:

"When Lotte was born, she was changing at such a rapid pace, and I was desperate to keep the memories intact. As any parent knows, the difference between a child at two days old and two months old is startling. When Vince was born, I started filming him too. Other people might make a photo book, but I decided to film. This is the most photographed and filmed generation ever, but what are we actually doing with these pictures? They just sit in a file on the computer. I wanted to try and convey the essence of my children, of how they look to me. We don't often look at the photographs we take, not in the same way that an artist would look at his paintings."

Lotte is now 22, and Hofmeester shared a yearly version of her growing-up compilation just a few months ago. In this one, we get to see her on each birthday, saying a few words (in Dutch, of course). It's amazing to see the differences from year to year.

"One of the reasons that the project has had such an impact, I think, is because it's very moving," Hofmeester wrote. "People are touched by it because it conveys a feeling of the soul. They've written to me about their own children. The film makes you realise what life is about, in a direct way."

Imagine being able to see your whole childhood documented this way, or to have a record of your kids' growing-up years that was so succinct. What a lovely gift this father and filmmaker has created for his children—and for the rest of us as well.


This article originally appeared on 2.3.22

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Family

Experienced dads share the 'superpowers' fatherhood bestowed upon them

From ninja-like reflexes to upping your grilling game…

Photo credit: Canva

Your grilling powers enhance exponentially.

One of the little known perks of becoming a parent is that you develop honest-to-goodness, real-life superpowers. Those of us who have physically borne babies know this on a primal level, and mom superpowers are naturally touted for their miraculous nature. For dads, those powers tend to emerge a little later and in different ways.

Dad superpowers may not involve growing an entire human being from scratch inside their own bodies, but they've still got them. Some may overlap with mom powers, but there are certain things that dads do that are uniquely oriented to fatherhood.

A soon-to-be-father tapped Reddit with this adorably curious question: "My girlfriend is due with our first-born in 6 weeks and I already feel the power of the dad-joke getting stronger with every day. What other superpowers and abilities have I got to look forward to?" and the dads delivered.

The ability to sleep and watch TV at the same time

Sleep becomes a bit of a mystery once you have kids. You basically never sleep but also are always sleeping.

"Being able to be asleep yet also still be watching that on TV."

"Can confirm. My dad would be draped over the couch full-on snoring throughout the entirety of a movie he's never seen and could give you a full summary of the movie so far without ever opening his eyes."

"That's because while caring for a newborn, you don't sleep. Instead, when given the opportunity, you go directly into a coma."

via GIPHY

"Been a dad for seven years now, this superpower just came to me over the summer."

"Dad snoring loudly. Reach for remote—'Don’t touch that I am watching that show.'"

Sensing when a kid is doing something they shouldn't

You gain the ability to interpret silence and certain sounds as trouble with 95% accuracy.

"You will be able to sense when your child has done something wrong from miles away."

"Finally some peace and quiet... Wait."

"This, my 3 year old really thinks I have eyes in the back of my head."

"When my kids play together I can tell by the sound of the laughs if someone is doing something naughty. I like fun, but that sounds like too much fun."

Spouse annoyance

Blame it on the sleep deprivation, but it's a thing.

"Your ability to annoy your significant other will never be stronger."

"This is easily the most accurate."

"UNLIMITED POWAHHHHH."

"Pro tip after she has the baby mention how hard that day was on you."

Grill, baby, grill

Gas or charcoal? You'll have an opinion, believe it.

"Your grilling game."

"My father grilled, my father's father grilled, and now it is my time."

via GIPHY

"This spatula has been passed down for generations..."

"The grill is a refuge away from the house and kids. When it's not enough, get a smoker. 'Sorry sweetie, it's a 12-hour brisket recipe that needs careful monitoring. I'll be outside; you watch the kids.'"

Adoration of your offspring

Even if you think you don't like kids much, your own kids will be amazing. And vice versa.

"The ability to be incredibly funny and interesting to your kid regardless of how crippling your social anxiety is."

"This for real. Everyone, including me, pretty much thought I wouldn't be such a great dad because I generally don't like people. Don't like talking to them, don't like listening to them, don't like being in the same room with them. I can talk to my kids forever about nothing and love it."

"One's own kid is the most wonderful, fascinating creature ever. I sometimes think that other children aren't that special. Great, yes, but meh. Then I look at mine and realize that -for someone else- they are probably weird and not-so-special. But to me, they're the most amazing thing ever."

Ninja-like reflexes

Probably the most literal superpower you'll have. Literally out here saving lives.

"Weirdly fast reflexes."

"Dad reflexes save more kids than crash helmets and knee pads."

"Based on my son, they develop because babies like to launch themselves headfirst out of your arms believing they can fly like an eagle."

"I caught my daughter midway thru falling down a flight of stairs, scared the crap out of her but no harm done."

media.giphy.com

"I caught my kid by the ankle, an inch from smashing his face into a Toys R’ Us floor. Turns out when the 2 year old is standing in the corner of the cart and you take a turn just to show your wife that yes, he is in fact perfectly safe standing up like that, you’d better be ready to make sure he doesn’t die when you take a aisle corner too hard."

Thermostat telepathy

You will become one with the temperature in your home, and any deviation from what it should be will immediately result in your family members being accused of touching the thermostat.

"You will know, as soon as you walk in the house, if someone has been monkeying with the thermostat."

"Telepathically being able to sense the thermostat being touched."

"You will be in tune with the house's thermostats like you've never been before."

"You will become hyper aware of when anyone touches the thermostat. You will literally feel the money being ripped from your wallet."

"Once you start yelling at others for touching the thermostat you’ll know you’ve reached peak Dad-ness."

Having kids is hard, but superpowers are a fun perk. Especially when we can use them to entertain or annoy our children.

fatherhood
Family

Dad's sincere texts while buying pads for his daughter are a hilarious attempt to get it right

Now, that’s being a good dad!

via Tia Savva/Facebook

Tia Savva has an invested father.

Sadly, a lot of men go out of their way to avoid learning anything about a woman's period. (That could be why throughout most of the United States — where the majority of lawmakers are men — feminine hygiene products are subject to sales tax.)

So we should give some love to the guys who make an effort to learn a bit about the menstrual cycle so they can help their family members when they're in desperate need of feminine hygiene products. Personally, as a guy, the feminine hygiene aisle can be a little intimidating. There are multiple brands, styles of products, scents, absorbency levels, and they are all color-coded.

What do the colors mean?

Knowing there's a lot I don't know, I take a picture on my phone of the box I'm about to purchase and send it to my wife, asking, "Is this the right one?"

A dad in the U.K. is getting some love on social media for the hilarious way he navigated the world of feminine hygiene products while showing how much he loved his daughter in the process.

It all began when Tia Savva sent her dad to Tesco, a popular U.K. drug store, to pick up some tampons.

funny dad stories, Tia Savva, dads

Too many choices.

Tia Savva/Facebook

feminine hygiene, mal hygiene, family

Dad having a minor panic.

Tia Savva/Facebook

tampons, menstruation, comedy

Family humor.

Tia Savva/Facebook

For all the guys out there that need a solid primer on what goes on in the feminine hygiene product aisle, this quick tutorial from Mel magazine does a pretty great job.


This article originally appeared on July 2, 2019

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