your life FA M I LY

Designer Dad
After having children,
Chris Pegula, aka The
Diaper Dude, realized
that diaper bags were way
too feminine for guys to
carry with any enthusiasm.
So the Santa Monica,
California, dad decided to
design his own line and in
the process changed how
fathers deal with diaper
duty (no more toting
baby’s gear in a gym bag).
Pictured here with Cole,
4, he has two other kids,
Juliet, 7, and Kai, 9.

They may forget to pick up their socks, but fathers will also pull
out all the stops for their kids. Meet the newest members of

The Dads
Hall of Fame
BY JODY MACE AND RACHEL MORRIS

74 June 2009 Parents

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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 suffering from epilepsy, she’s con-
fined to a wheelchair, can’t speak, and needs a feeding tube to eat. But
her dad, Tommy McAuley, has helped her achieve awesome physical feats.
They are a father-daughter triathlon team. McAuley pushes Mary in a special
stroller for most of his runs, pulls her along in a trailer when he bikes, and tugs
his child in an inflatable raft as he’s swimming. T.E.A.M. McAuley (older broth-
ers, Grant, 11, and Griffin, 9, are members too) raises money and awareness for
other families with special needs to get equipment to participate in triathlons.
McAuley carries
The biggest reason for racing is Mary. “She loves the feeling of not being
his daughter
disabled, spending time with her family, and the wind blowing through her hair,” across the finish
says McAuley. How can he know this about a child who can’t speak? “If you saw line. Go, Dad!
her contagious smile, you’d have no doubt,” explains this proud dad.

PEE-IN-YOUR-PANTS
FUNNY DADS
These hilarious fathers
have all brought their
humor to the kiddie screen
(Bedtime Stories, Kung Fu
Panda, and Horton Hears a
Who!, respectively).

Adam Sandler
Kids: Sadie, 3, and
Sunny, 7 months

DAD WHO MAKES LUNCH FUN Every day during his

own midday break, father of three Derek Benson, of San Diego, LUNCH BAGS: BRYAN MCCAY. CARELL AND BLACK: WIREIMAGE. SANDLER: GETTY IMAGES.

decorates a sack with a full-color cartoon character for each kid.

Seriously? See for yourself at lunchbagart.tumblr.com. Jack Black
Kids: Samuel, 3, and Thomas, 1

Blogging-for-Good Dad
Jeremiah McNichols started zrecs.com (named
after his daughter, “Z,” 4.) to advocate for retail
safety in children’s products and to report on his
rigorous testing of kids’ gear (don’t miss the
sippy-cup section). Over the last few years,
he’s turned it into a blog network devoted to
bringing together über-useful, slightly geeky Steve Carell
(but way cool!) parenting sites on topics ranging Kids: Elisabeth Anne, 7,
from gardening with kids to DIY crafts. and John, 5

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DAD OF INVENTION Want one of

these? Check out
When Jim Whitney’s daughters were ages 3 and 5, this
crazyforts.com.
Toronto dad found himself watching his kids play
and wondering why there wasn’t a toy that could
be assembled and reconfigured in different
life-size shapes. “I wanted something that
could be a cave today, a pirate ship tomorrow,
and a castle the next,” he says. “Oh, and you’d
be able to drape sheets over it for hiding.”
Voilà! The Crazy Fort was born.

FIRST DAD President Barack Obama’s fierce love for his kids,
Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, is impossible to miss. His commitment
to keeping children’s issues at the forefront of his agenda has
us hopeful for a bright future for all of America’s families.

“Cool Hand” Dad

W
DADS WHO HELP DADS
hen R obert Haag’s son, Michael, was
Troy Jones (left, with Matilda, 3) is from Los Angeles, and
born five years ago without a fully
Sam Holt (with Hugo, 3) hails from Australia. Together
developed left arm, Haag was stunned
they created Being Dad for fathers-to-be worldwide to get
to learn that prosthetic hands for infants were
the lowdown from fellow dudes about pregnancy (so you
essentially useless because the “forefinger” and
want to have sex with your eight-month-pregnant wife?)
“thumb” were connected to each other and therefore
and birth (yeah, he’ll come out as clean and cute as in the
immobile. That’s why Haag, of Atlanta, came up with
movies!) and other stuff they might not even think to ask.
a simple fix. He cut just-for-show appendages apart
so that his son could at least hold a block or a
pacifier like other children. And thus began
Haag’s quest to make prosthetics useful to a child
(see one below). He turned a Spider-Man fishing rod
into a “fishing arm” by altering the pole to
screw onto Michael’s prosthetic socket. His
goal isn’t only to improve Michael’s life
but to help other kids too; he shares
his designs online at
openprosthetics.org.

THE OBAMAS: ASSOCIATED PRESS. DINOSAUR: SAFARI LTD.

When his son

got into dinos, Expecting your
Haag turned first? Get your
a T-Rex toy hubby this DVD
into a fun for Father’s Day!
prosthetic.

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Best Dad on the DADS WITH THE

WRITE IDEA
Dance Floor These fave writers both have
Andy Blackman Hurwitz is a founding brand-new books about
father of Baby Loves Disco—the fatherhood. Their accounts may
nationwide dance party for toddlers not be classified as “parenting
and their parents. Against all odds, guides,” but any dad will be able
BLD manages to successfully unite a to relate to their experiences.
dance floor and deejays spinning ’80s
tunes with stuffed animals, bubble
machines, and diaper-changing
stations. But that’s not all. The
Narberth, Pennsylvania, dad’s also
produced three kid albums that
Hurwitz with
spread his love of music to the
Samson, 7,
Charlie, 6, younger generation: Baby Loves
and Julius, 1. Salsa, Baby Loves Hip Hop, and
Baby Loves Jazz. We just want to
Sam Apple
get our hands on his iPod playlist.
Author of American Parent. Father of
Isaac, 2, and Nina and Lila, 5 months.

Pitt with
DAD THE BUILDER This father 4-year-old
doesn’t just look good, he Zahara.

does good! A poster pop for

blended families, Brad Pitt
is at the forefront of the
Make It Right Foundation,
building green, sustainable,
affordable housing for Michael Lewis
Author of Home Game. Father of
families in post–Hurricane

DISCO BALL: ISTOCKPHOTO. PITT: WIREIMAGE. BOOKS: BRYAN MCCAY. LEWIS FAMILY: TABITHA SOREN. RIENHOFF AND DAUGHTER: YE RIN MOK.
Quinn, 9, Dixie, 7, and Walker, 2.
Katrina New Orleans.

No room for
DNA-DETECTIVE DAD
a car seat on
this dad’s ride! When biotechnologist and medical doctor Hugh Rienhoff’s
daughter, Beatrice, 5, was diagnosed with a mysterious and
potentially fatal genetic disorder, Dr. Rienhoff (below with Beatrice)
decided to sequence her DNA himself to find out exactly what
was wrong. Now he spends all his free time in his San Francisco
attic lab, sifting through Beatrice’s genetic code in an
attempt to help find an answer that will save
DAREDEVIL DAD her life—and maybe others’ as well.
Tony Hawk is the type who throws himself off a
ramp to complete gravity-defying stunts before
picking up his youngest at day care (he has four
kids ranging in age from 1 to 16). But what really
bumps up this San Diego thrasher’s cool factor is
how he spreads his passion for the sport by raising
funds for public skate parks in low-income areas
through the Tony Hawk Foundation. The program
gives kids a safe place to practice the sport while
building their self-esteem and confidence.

80 June 2009 Parents