This made my day: Single dad in Thailand dresses up as woman for daughter's Mother's Day school celebration

A single dad in Thailand recently won hearts after a TikTok video showed him dressed as a woman during a Mother's Day event at his daughter's school.

The viral video uploaded last Friday (Aug 11) has currently received over 33,000 likes and more than 360,000 views.

The father, Pratchaya "Joe" Tadeebu, can be seen sitting before his daughter, Nattawadee "Cream" Kornjan, as the latter pays respects to Tadeebu after giving him a flower at a Mother's Day event at her school.

Tadeebu, 48, is dressed in a black and white polka-dot dress, complete with a long black wig.

Kornjan, 15, then leaps into her father's arms as the two share a tight embrace, smiling from ear-to-ear while Tadeebu plants kisses on her head.

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In a Facebook photo posted by Tadeebu, the two of them can be seen grinning brightly while onlookers around them — other parents and students — also smile warmly at the duo.

"Mother must be present on Mother's Day," Tadeebu wrote on his post. "I can be a mother for you (his daughter) as well!"

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Speaking to Thai media outlet Thairath, he also shared that he's actually a teacher at his daughter's school, and that his daughter is adopted.

"We talked to each other about what we should do this Mother's Day," Tadeebu said in the interview. "I don't want Cream to feel neglected, I want her to be happy. 

"The idea of dressing as a woman came up and I felt no embarrassment at all. We always find ways to have fun together. 

"Even though I am a single father and her stepfather, I always tell Cream that she is my daughter, and I love her like my own biological child. I will do my best as both father and mother in order to take care of my girl."

Kornjan was similarly confident about her father's participation in the event and told Thai media that she felt it was cute and funny, without a hint of embarrassment.

Her sentiments were also echoed in the comments on Tadeebu's social media posts.

Many users on Facebook commented that the two looked very cute together, also adding that Tadeebu looked "very cute" in the dress and wig.

Another user exclaimed: "Your daughter will definitely love you as much as you love her!"

"This is called love," a comment on Tadeebu's TikTok post wrote.

"Your family is so cute," said a user on TikTok. "You don't need to have everything. Simply being happy with everything that you have is sufficient."

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khooyihang@asiaone.com