Professor Goes Viral After Responding to Daughter’s Accident
Posted: April 24, 2017 | Author: Southern Utah University | Read Time: 2 minutes
A Southern Utah University professor has gone viral after responding to his daughter’s “accident” at school. Ben Sowards, associate professor of illustration, was highlighted in a Twitter post by his daughter which has received over 62,000 retweets and 253,000 likes as of Monday, April 17.
In an interview with BuzzFeed News, Sowards said his wife told him that their kindergartener, Valerie, was crying at school after she had an accident there and wanted to go home. "My heart kind of just broke," he told the outlet. So, he splashed some water on his pants and headed to the school to pick her up, promptly asking his daughter for her backpack so he could hide his accident.
His daughter found it hilarious. In a simple way, her dad made her feel loved, included and confident.
Lucinda, Valerie’s 17 year old sister, tweeted pictures of her dad’s ultimate move of fatherhood and the Internet loved it. People on Twitter adored the story, saying things like “This dad is too pure for the world” and “11/10 wholesome dad”.
Taking a page from the classic Billy Madison movie, Sowards shows love and support to his eleven kids through laughter and smiles. He shows the same support to his illustration students in and out of the classroom.
“Ben is a very active family man and shows that same support to his students at SUU,” said Samuel Sherrill, an illustration major from Taylorsville, Utah. “He’s an outstanding professor who takes the time to mentor students. He balances home, his personal client work, and time with students. Because of Ben, I’ve gained the confidence I needed to chase my illustration dreams.”
News outlets across the nation are sharing Sowards story, including:
- People Are So Touched By How This Dad Hilariously Handled His 6-Year-Old Daughter’s Accident, BuzzFeed News
- Dad’s selfless display to cheer up his daughter who had an ‘accident’ has the internet in tears, Mashable
- To help his embarrassed daughter cheer up, this dad pretended to pee his pants, TODAY
- Dad’s response to daughter’s ‘accident’ at school goes viral, Fox 13
- Foster-to-Adopt southern Utah father explains the reason he pretended to pee his pants, Channel 2
- Cedar City father of 11 gains internet fame for 'peeing his pants', KSL
- Father of 11 'Wets' His Pants in Support of His Kindergartner When She Has an Accident: 'We Laughed All the Way Home', PEOPLE
In an interview with ABC 10, Lucinda praised her parents commitment to family saying everyone’s on the same team at their house.
"When one person's embarrassed, we're all embarrassed," Lucinda said. "And when one person's happy, we're all happy."
This article was published more than 5 years ago and might contain outdated information or broken links. As a result, its accuracy cannot be guaranteed.