16 Fathers Who Should Get an Award for Reacting As Quickly As a Flash

Small children are clumsy and restless and it’s really difficult for parents to always keep an eye on them (especially if they take their babies out with them.) Some situations could have unfortunate consequences if it wasn’t for these dads’ immediate reactions.

SmallJoys will show you 16 dads whose superpower is their incredible and quick ability to react. There’s also a bonus proving fathers are smart and inventive.

1. Shaun Cunningham became an internet star after he’d saved his son from a flying baseball bat.

2. This dad’s reaction saved his daughter from falling off a bridge.

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Watch this! Dad Saves The Day Yosemite National Park, California, USA "We went on vacation to Yosemite in the summer of 2016. We thought we were going to pose for a daddy/daughter photo but turned into a memorable video. Wife accidentally had it on video mode. It was a scary moment, but as you can see we were able to laugh afterwards. We are thankful for each other and our lack of injuries." #dadsavestheday #mustwatch #videooftheday #dadreflexes #superdads #dadcatch #funnyvideos

A post shared by Shiezoli (@shiezoli) on Nov 8, 2017 at 5:36pm PST

3. He caught a ball while feeding his baby.

4. A dad who doesn’t panic

5. Another hero

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Shout out to amazing dads and amazing local watermen! ?‍? #dadsavestheday #dadreflexes #superdads #dadcatch #kailuaboys #kailuabay #twinislands

A post shared by Kailua Beach Adventures (@kailuakayaks) on Oct 31, 2017 at 1:14pm PDT

6. Just one moment

7. This is a Van Damme level reaction.

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#dadreflexes Almalla on uus hieno pullo

A post shared by Vili (@vjlahtinen) on Mar 10, 2018 at 7:55am PST

8. Quick decision-making

9. Thanks to his dad, this boy is safe and sound.

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Casual, cuidando a mi sobrino ?? #dadreflexes #gopro

A post shared by Esteban Vargas (@estebanvz) on May 5, 2018 at 3:32pm PDT

10. This dad stops falling toilet paper from hitting his son.

11. Another situation proving you should always be on alert during a baseball game.

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Let's get this out of the way: This was the best play at Citi Field this year. ? No doudt! . This guy's dad reflexes are on point. And as a dad I can tell you, dad reflexes are real, and science backs me up. Even though reflexes are involuntary reactions that mostly bypass your brain in order to protect your body, a study in rats showed that throught a process called neurogenesis, new cells form as soon as their pups were born. As a father your reflexes will extend to their bodies. . After our babies are born, by just hugging them, our brains generate 20 percent more prolactin, a hormone that increases neurogenesis. Our brain gets rewired to protect them. . And then there is the evolutionary instinct to protect our genes, which are now living on that defenseless little bundle of joy. It's really like a perfect storm of hormones and evolution giving us tempory a spidey-sence. . . . #knowledge #didyouknow #learning #science #stem #nature #interestingfacts #scienceisawesome #astrophysics #astronomy #cosmos #discovery #scicomm #openscience #instascience #geek #instanews #education #physics #sciencerules #scienceiscool #neuroscience # hero #baseball #dadreflexes #reflex #mlb #citifield #postseason #mlbpostseason

A post shared by Fausto Tavárez (@fausto_tavarez) on Aug 25, 2018 at 8:21pm PDT

12. “Happy Birthday, Dad!”

13. Awesome dad reflexes

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Great Dad reflexes! #savetheday #dadreflexes #dadbodv2 #superhero #superdad

A post shared by DadBodV2 (@dadbodv2) on Nov 16, 2017 at 9:00am PST

14. She slid right into her dad’s hands.

15. This dad’s reaction saves his daughter’s life.

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Dad saves little girl . #dadreflexes #dads #dadlife #video #caughtoncamera #saved #parents #parent #kid #reflex #prevented #avoided #savedalife #goodreflexes #goodoutcome #goodness #goodman #accidentprevention #amazing #life #quickreflexes #coder999999999 #followtrain2018

A post shared by coder999999999 (@coder999999999) on Aug 22, 2018 at 5:12pm PDT

16. Dads will be dads.

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Saved by dad reflexes . #funny #silly #dad #dads #dadreflex #dadreflexes #baby #babyfalling #saved #savedbydad #almost #family #familytime

A post shared by coder999999999 (@coder999999999) on Aug 19, 2018 at 7:20am PDT

17. Ingenuity is simple.

Bonus

This dad teaching how to be competitive at sports.

Spending some quality father and son time shopping at the hardware store.

This dad wins the group costume of the year. Darth vader and his daughter…awww!

This dad who was asked by his daughter to leave the hair straightener by the bathroom door.

This dad trying to get this whole social media thing.

This dad who was asked to get a tree they “didn’t have to decorate.”

This dad that was asked to make a ponytail.

This dad demonstrating that EVERYTHING can be grilled.

This dad who finally got the diet water he always wanted.

This dad who brought his son’s lunch to school.

This dad who is trying to relax in his own special way.

This dad who decides to clean the toilet with a bath bomb.

This dad dressing up for a 60th birthday party.

This dad trying to “tweet.”

This dad putting his foot and straw down.

But no matter what their parenting style is like, dads are still a heck of a lot of fun.

Dads try their best to be the best dad they can be and that’s good enough for me.