Photo: TikTok
This mom showed the power of showing up for her daughter, no matter what her gender expression is.
By Alexandra Blogier — Written on May 02, 2023
A single mom showed just how far she’d go for her daughter to feel included at the Daddy-Daughter dance in their town.
“Imagine you’re a single mother, and your daughter comes home and tells you that her teammates are talking about the upcoming Daddy-Daughter Dance,” a mom named Yadinma explained in a TikTok post. “Now, she really wants to go, but she doesn’t have an active father, so what is a mother to do?”
Yadinma decided to dress up as a Dad so her daughter could go to the Daddy-Daughter dance.
Single motherhood is more common now than it once was. Almost 80% of single-parent households are headed by single moms. A total of about 13 million children under the age of 18, or 1 in 4 children, are being raised by single moms.
Yadinma chronicled her journey towards fatherhood on TikTok, filming all the steps she took to transform into a Dad for the night.
Yadinma captured her trip to her favorite second-hand store, where her daughter Kaylin picked out her favorite dress. Then, Yadinma turned the camera on herself.
“I am going to transform myself into a Daddy,” the mom exclaimed. “Now, I know I could never replace her father, but I can sure look like one for a night! Now, tell me this is not giving Daddy. Look how I did my hair! It’s giving Daddy.”
“We’re gonna sneak into this Daddy-Daughter dance, ain’t nobody gonna know,” Yadinma explained.
Yadinma still had to fulfill her Mom duties, even though she was playing Dad for the night.
“But before I can go into full-Daddy mode, I gotta be Mommy first,” she said. She filmed herself doing Kaylin’s hair and painting her nails. “Now I gotta be the dry-cleaning lady, iron her clothes. And now I’m the chef! Gotta make dinner because I’m not gonna pay for us to go out to dinner when we’ve got food in the house.”
“If y’all follow me, y’all know I always gotta plate my baby’s dishes, making her feel like she’s eating fancy,” Yadinma said while showing off a plate of salmon, mashed potatoes, and green beans. She showed herself in true parenting mode, eating her own meal standing up at the stove.
“We didn’t have time for me to fix my plate,” Yadinma explained. “I just ate straight out [of] the pot because now it’s time for us to crash this dance.”
The camera panned to a shot of Yadinma and Kaylin walking into the dance, dressed to the nines. Yadinma looked dapper in her suit; Kaylin’s pink satin dress was perfect.
Yadinma filmed the scene, capturing herself dancing with Kaylin, as well as Kaylin dancing with her friends. But she wasn’t done surprising her daughter and gave her a sweet gift to remember the night.
“I wanted the night to be special, so I got my baby a nice little necklace that has unicorns on it. It’s got a unicorn mom hugging a little unicorn daughter,” Yadinma said. “But apparently that wasn’t enough, because my daughter was eyeballing this little teddy bear building station, and she really wanted one. But I told her I couldn’t afford it, and this nice gentleman must have overheard our conversation, and decided to include my daughter with his two daughters.”
“Look at the excitement on my baby’s face! Thank you to that man for showing my daughter that there are good dudes out there,” Yadinma said while filming Kaylin smiling, capturing a moment of community care.
“The night ended shortly after this, and I know this is going to be a moment that she will remember for a lifetime,” Yadinma ended her video. She noted in the comments how important it was for dads to feel "special with their daughters," along with the grandpas and uncles she saw present.
The experience was fulfilling and healing for her, too, she explained in the comments.“I always wanted to go to one of these too when I was a little girl. The little girl in me was very happy as well.”
Another single mom came to the comments to praise Yadinma, saying, “You’ve definitely inspired me and made me feel so much better about being a single mom. Thank you, you are amazing.”
Someone else explained that they felt “torn” about the concept of Daddy-Daughter dances, and Yadinma spoke her piece.
“Don’t be torn,” she said. “I think they should continue. But maybe add one that’s more inclusive. But never take away from the Daddys! They are so important.”
Yadinma stated in the caption to her post that there were “so many great moments of this night. The best part was when she whispered in my ear, ‘Mommy, I don’t think anyone notices you’re not a Dad!’”
Yadinma and Kaylin’s experience at the Daddy-Daughter Dance highlights the importance of inclusive communities and shows how creativity and love can pave the way for everyone to feel included.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. As a former postpartum doula, she covers parenting issues, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.