Father son looking meme

When Eric Lawton is playing himself in his comedy videos, he's not trying to be the picture-perfect father. His image looks nothing like the dads in Norman Rockwell paintings, nor the corny, confidant types often seen in television for teens.And while he may be writing jokes about black families, he most certainly is not doing The Cosby Show.

Lawton, who stars alongside his son, Shawn, wants to portray a father who can slip up.

Some critics say he's doing just that: He is, after all, writing one-minute sketches where he and his 7-year-old trade jabs laced (sometimes) with sexual innuendo. But fans of the pair appreciate the blend of subversive African American comedy traditions with father and son's satiric ability to capture the challenges of everyday parenting, economic realities especially — talents that have earned the pair 660,000 Facebook followers and an Instagram following of 188,000 under the moniker GheeFunny.

Take a recent sketch posted in January, where Shawn asks for a dog. Lawton: "Hell, no. … You just started wiping your own a– two months ago."

READER NOTE: The Instagram videos below may contain foul language or sexual references.

Unlike his on-screen persona, the real-life director at a local youth development program is laid back, with a calm tone of voice. As he was preparing to hit the "share" button on a more recent clip, he shook his head and laughed.

"This video is probably going to get some bad feedback," Lawton said of the video in which he takes Shawn to the doctor because of persistent itchiness — he guessed that was from chasing around girls four grades ahead of him. From other videos, too, Lawton has received backlash from viewers who don't like that his character uses foul language, or that he shuts his son down by insulting him.

"Who cares? Not me. You need negative," said Lawton, 30, of Strawberry Mansion. "Without turmoil, who are you?"

Negativity aside, his goals are positively ambitious: He wants Shawn to be able to make the leap from digi-shorts novice to professional actor. Lawton sees it as showing his son something other than playing ball. They're already working on leveling up: Next month, they'll debut The GheeFunny Show — Ghee is Lawton's nickname — a web series of 25-minute episodes with professional camerawork instead of iPhone grabs. Lawton said he is in negotiations with Facebook and YouTube over which platform will host the first season.

But it all just started as a funny guy from a funny family who figured he'd try sharing his wisecracks on social media. And then when Shawn was 6, the child asked a question all parents know is ripe for comedy: Where do babies come from?

In that moment, he understood their conversation was unfolding in a funny way, so he asked his son to raise the question on camera.

Experts and fans now marvel at Shawn's comedy chops at so young an age. "He'll tell me something, or I'll just make something up," Shawn explained nonchalantly. "I'll say this or I'll say that."

His father estimates about 70 percent of their dialogue is off the cuff. How does Shawn come up with it? "I just figure it out from what he says, and then I say something back that's disrespectful."

Over time, their sketches, which earn some money through sponsors but not views, have become a mix of scripted dialogue and their own improvised banter, with a range of plots. There's a video where Shawn thinks his ankle is broken. (Lawton, unwilling to pay for a hospital visit, tells Shawn to put on his Lebron James sneakers.) Or when Lawton gets pulled over and tries to gloss over his infractions to a cop. (Shawn pipes up to tell the truth after each response.)

This is "more than a high-concept buddy comedy between the Rock and Kevin Hart might make [people] feel," said Nick Marx, a comedy studies expert based at Colorado State University. He said social media comedy often captures "everyday lived experiences."

Black parenting, of course, is not a monolith.  But in many black households, parents teach that respect is an ironclad boundary. GheeFunny's comedy exposes what can happen when that understanding goes off the rails, like when the kid keeps crossing the line, or if the parent is wrong. What if parent and child are actually talking about different things? Shawn's catchphrase is: "That's besides the point." Lawton's catchphrase is: "Do it look like I give a f—."

"Our relationship in real life is nothing like that," Lawton insisted. Still, "a lot of the stuff we do is stuff that we go through. But once we do it on camera, we take it to the max."

Denene Millner, an author and expert on African American parenting, pointed out that many black parents turn a good phrase as they lay down the law. The Lawtons are tapping into that, notably in a media landscape where black fathers lack visibility.

Duke University professor Mark Anthony Neal, a scholar of African American popular culture, sees their sketches as a brilliant blend between African American comedy and how black fathers turn to humor to "cut through the tension between all this maleness" when speaking to their sons — GheeFunny "ain't The Cosby Show, and this ain't Black-ish." It also reminded him of conversations with his own daughter.

"The conversation is real and it can be profane, but it's a glimpse into what the challenges of everyday parenting" are, said Neal. "It's not romantic. It's real."

Except when it isn't. In real life, Shawn is every bit a 7-year-old: He's energetic. He loves pancakes, hot dogs, PBJ, and soda and candy. When he grows up, he wants a mansion in California where he hopes to raise twins. Sometimes, he said, teachers at his school quote his catchphrase.

"A lot of people from school know me from Instagram," Shawn explained. "I have a lot of friends. That's good. They talk about my videos at lunch and stuff."

Also, in real life, Shawn doesn't understand the sexual references.

"Those are the videos where I have to write the content out," Lawton said. "I have to make sure I'm staying in bounds."

Shawn still asks questions, though, like when they were filming a sketch where Shawn asks why his father's bedroom smells like fish.

Lawton remembered giving this explanation: "When you have friends over, it's not good to have a seafood smell."

Upon hearing his dad's retelling to a reporter, he got curious again. Lawton feigned ignorance: "I don't know what you're talking about."

That video has more than 6 million views on Facebook, with the majority of commenters responding positively. Still, some posted upset critiques. "That boy is a child and should not be exposed to such ignorant nonsense!!!" one viewer wrote.

Millner wishes that social media videos had rating systems like movies do,giving parents the tools to know which content is not suitable for children. GheeFunny's accounts, for instance, aren't, she said. Still, she finds their work "hysterical," and believes much of the backlash is due to the medium.

"If it was HBO or Showtime," nobody would really notice, said Millner. "I don't look at this father-son duo any differently than I look at Jodie Foster [who played a prostitute at age 12] in Taxi Driver. Or Quvenzhané Wallis [who was 9 when she punched her on-screen dad] in Beasts of the Southern Wild."

Shawn's mother, Ashley Reavis, who co-parents with Lawton, is famously absent from the videos. She said she's gotten bad feedback about the content, which she hears out but doesn't heed. Shawn said he doesn't pay it much mind either: "I really just ignore them 'cause they hatin'."

Grandpop Lawton is especially proud of the sketches — that's because they are an exaggerated version of his tough but hilarious fathering, his son said. Eric Lawton Sr. gets worried, though, too.

"I told my son the other day to make disclaimers," said Lawton Sr. "There's a lot of child abuse in this world. There's a lot of bad parenting in this world. I don't want anyone to take it to a point where they think this is real."

Lawton does get messages from people who don't know that they're acting, which he finds absurd. But Lawton doesn't ignore the comments. In fact, he made a strategic decision months ago to scale back how many obscenities he uses. Since then, his Instagram following has tripled.

In the future, he hopes to do more public appearances — Jan. 30 was his biggest gig yet, at Onyx, a strip club. (Shawn didn't see the ad for that.) Stand-up is next. Lawton is not letting the detractors stop him: "Sometimes negative energy motivates you."

I cover sociocultural dynamics, as well as how Philadelphians contend with them these days.

We have rounded up the best funny DAD MEMES! That’s right, you know we’ve got dad jokes, crazy photos of what happens when dad watches the kids and more dad humor.

True story, my family pretty much communicates in stupid videos and funny memes. This includes communicating with my dad. So today we are sharing the dad funny with these funny dad memes. 

Best Dad Memes 

Here are our favorite memes about dad, being a dad, dad jokes and even dad Star Wars memes!

Don’t miss our Best Father’s Day Gift Ideas post!

Sex Talk with Dad

My dad showed me a 30 minute PowerPoint presentation on why one should always wear a condom during sex. All the slides were just pictures of me. 

Dr. Evil Meme

When dad takes away your phone. 

Do you have a meme dad? 

NO DAD, Please note again. 

Protective Dad

Did you grow up with a protective dad? You know, the dad who answers the door with a gun to meet your date. Those protective dads mean well, and so of course, there are protective dad memes dedicated to LOLing at their protectiveness. 

When your daughter gets cheated on – there is that dad. (We here at Digital Mom Blog aren’t fans of guns – well we do like the a salt gun, but that’s about it.)

Of course you can take my daughter to prom.

Bring my daughter back before 8 or I will find you and kill you in all Christian love. 

Star Wars Dad Memes

Luke, I am your father.  Don’t miss these Star War Memes.

Join the dark side, son!

Let your dad-ness flow through you. 

Embarrassing Dad Memes

Do you have an embarrassing dad, if so – you will LOVE these embarrassing dad photos!

This is the LAST STRAW! Dad protests with a gigantic straw.

Props to this dad who was sick of his daughter’s short shorts. 

When Dad Watches the Kids

Hilarious dad memes about when dad watches the kids. 

This is talent! Put a real piece of bread in your daughter’s hair next time she wants her hair in a bun. 

When dad does the baby’s head. 

All parents, dads included – master the reach around while driving move. 

Dad gives daughter a maxipad with an eye on it. This is the type of iPad I’m getting my teen!

When your baby cries for your wife – and creativity is all you’ve got. BRILLIANT dad uses a mask of mom’s face to calm the baby.

To the mothers in the house – funny mom memes.

Being a Dad Memes

Being a dad is amazing, so says my husband. Here are memes about being a dad. 

Gotta love the dad that can multi-task. Gamer dads can relate. 

The DAD STARE – staring like this is 33% of your job as a dad. 

You’re tired? Please tell me how hard it was for you dad. Signed daddy’s little orgasm.

For the parents of littles – funny baby memes.

Perception vs Reality

The realities of fatherhood. Perception vs reality.

Sleeping Dad

There’s a sleeping dad, let’s go ask him questions. 

Dad Joke Memes

When your dad has jokes, we share dad joke memes with him!

Dad jokes, everywhere! (Here is the Best Dad Joke Book, BTW)

Dad joke caught in action. Kids embarrassed and dad is LOLing!

More Funny Dad Memes

We aren’t done quite yet! Here are even more of our favorite memes about dad.

Favorite Child Meme

I love this favorite child meme so much. This is the shirt I made for my dad, if you are a favorite child – you must buy this!

This is applicable to dads and moms – don’t give my kid a whistle!

Dad, thanks for giving me just enough emotional baggage to be in a creative field but not enough to be a prostitute.

Whose dad owns or owned these dad shoes? And whose dad had green shoes after mowing the grass? Funny the things we remember!

Dad Bods or 1975 Pro Wrestler Bod? 

Asks for the TV remote, even though it’s an arms reach from it. 

For the sarcastic dad. If you don’t have one of these, I’m sorry. They are the absolute best.

Share These Memes for Dad

Feel free to share with for Fathers day memes for the holiday, to troll dad, general harassment or however. We just asked you tag us on social at @digitalmomblog. Enough about this and that – let’s get to the funny!

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads!

You’ve probably heard your share of dad jokes growing up but thanks to the internet, dad memes are here to save the day.

Our dad holds a special place in our heart because he taught us how to ride a bike, learn how to drive, and taught us how to play catch. He’s probably also the person we first go to for advice about something because we all know our mom would overreact. Moms are great too and for that reason, we also have mom memes.

Father’s Day is usually the day we celebrate the king of the family and what better way than sharing any one of these 71 funny dad memes AND a tie. Just kidding, get him something nice because dads deserve it!

1) Let the dad memes begin!

“33% of your job as a dad is staring at your kids like this until they act right.”

2)

“90% of being a dad is just showing up.”

3) Relatable dad memes.

“When dad tells a terrible joke but you need $20.”

4)

“When you haven’t even been born yet and you can already see your dad leaving.”

5)

“Absent father, oh no! Where’d he go! Includes bodysuit and the pack of cigarettes he went for.”

6)

“I’ve been making dad jokes for years but my wife and I are expecting our first child and I’ve finally been making dad jokes while actually being a dad. When we were in the hospital I got my wife a blanket. What was awesome was they were kept in this machine that was specifically made to heat blankets. I laid the blanket over my wife and said, ‘do you think they keep these at womb temperature?’ I heard a nurse laugh for a solid 3 minutes.”

7)

“My Converse sneakers vs my dad’s after one year.”

8)

“A girl got a text from a boy asking to see her in her bra…dad replied.”

9)

“Dad? Am I adopted? No, why the f*** would I pick you?”

10) Touching Father’s Day dad memes.

“Dad…You are my father.”

11)

“Dad memes: Are you my dad!…”

12)

“As a single dad, this pretty much sums up my life right now.”

13) Oops! Happy belated Father’s Day dad memes have you covered.

“Happy belated Father’s Day from someone who has clearly inherited your absent-mindedness.”

14) Best dad ever memes.

“Best dad ever!!!”

15)

“Bring my daughter back before 8 or I will find you…and kill you.”

16)

“Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad.”

17) Funny dad memes!

“Dad, will you put my hair in a bun?”

18)

“I love being a dad. But sometimes it can be a real challenge…And sometimes I fantasize about ditching my kid on an off-road and freeing myself from the burden, but…Whoops. Whelp…I’m walking on sunshine.”

19) Dad memes for Father’s Day.

“Cheers to all the father’s out there who didn’t raise Cowboys fans.”

20)

“Dad, I want an iPhone X. What’s the secret word, son? Karen. Who is Karen? Your lover, dad. Do you want it with a case too?”

21)

“Dad, thanks for giving me just enough emotional baggage to be in a creative field but not enough to be a prostitute.”

22)

“Dad, thanks for having me before the internet could ruin my childhood.”

23) Touching dad memes.

“Dad loving the sight of his son being a dad…”

24)

“Dads out here can’t wait to turn these bad boys green this mowing season.”

25) Funny dad memes.

“Dude, I made this, with my balls.”

26) Happy Father’s Day memes…

“Every restaurant in the world be packed on Mother’s Day but they want US to BBQ on Father’s Day…”

27)

“Exact photo description of a dad joke in action.”

28) Realistic Happy Father’s Day memes…

“Father’s Day dad memes. Expectation: Happy Father’s Day daddy! Thank you, sweetie. Reality: Happy Father’s Day. You ate my cake didn’t you?”

29)

“Facebook…where dad’s whose children are their last priority can pretend to be the world’s best parent. Grow some balls and be a dad!”

30) Dad memes for Father’s Day.

“Happy Farter’s Day.”

31)

“My father told me that I’m in the 1%. He also mentioned that condoms work 99% of the time.”

32) Relatable Dad memes.

“Dad’s Father’s Day Gift: What I wanted to buy him. What mom wanted to buy him. What he probably wanted. What we wanted to eat. What he wanted to eat. What dad will have to settle with.”

33)

“Dad. Thanks for bearing with me.”

34)

“Frozen Hispanic dad memes.”

35)

“Goes out Friday night for baby wipes.”

36)

“Good, good…Let the dad-ness flow through you.”

37) Dad memes for Father’s Day.

“Happy Father’s Day. Yoda best dad.”

38) More funny dad memes for Father’s Day.

“Happy Father’s Day. Sincerely, daddy’s little squirt.”

39)

“Dad memes: He can too!”

40)

“HER: I love guys who are like my dad. ME: *leaves*. HER: He’s the one.”

41) Hilarious dad memes.

“Husband: Honey, where is our puppy. Wife: She’s out with that black lab again. Husband: (slams paws) WHAT!”

42)

“I love my dad…memes.”

43)

“I’m gonna take your phone away because I am dad.”

44)

“Dad in the bathroom VS Mom in the bathroom.”

45)

“I teach my kids to steal bases so they can be good at little league baseball.”

46)

“It’s her first driving lesson. Dad is taking some precautions.”

47)

“It’s okay, I got this one dad…Move it or lose it granny!!!”

48)

“Jesus surfing with his dad.”

49)

“Funny dad memes? Judge awards him custody. Not his daughter.”

50)

“Justin Bieber and his dad. It all makes perfect sense now…”

51)

“Kid: [sobbing] Something happened to my toy, daddy! It’s not making sounds anymore! You:”

52) Truthful Father’s Day dad memes.

“My kids are all buying me gifts for Father’s Day. I hope I can afford it.”

53)

“Life is hard living in the shadows of my dad.”

54)

“I made you this dad! Wow! What the hell is it?”

55) Dad memes for Father’s Day.

“Dad, may your Father’s Dad be better than your jokes.”

56)

“Me: Gets bad grades on my report card. My clueless dad: I guess I should be disappointed.”

57)

“Me: Mom? Mom: Yeah? Me: Why is it taking dad over 4 years to get milk?”

58)

“My daughter is allowed, 3 male friends. The father, the son, and the holy spirit.”

59)

“My mom was a tiger. My dad was a brave dog.”

60)

“Dad, when is Father’s Day? Nine months before Mother’s Day.”

61)

“Nobody: Me: When I come home and mom and dad are wrestling on the bed.”

62)

“No, dad…Please, not again…”

63)

“Oh, ignore me, I’m just loading my rifle. Of course, you can take my daughter to prom night.”

64)

“Agent Orange: I”m 46 and my girlfriend is 8? months pregnant and I’m starting to panic about things. Am I too old to be a dad in most people’s eyes? thatfunnyblog: I think I just had a miniature heart attack.”

65) Single dad memes.

“Parenting level: Single dad.”

66) Dad memes featuring Philip DeFranco.

“Best part of being a dad is I can do almost anything and people are like OMG, YOU”RE THE BEST DAD IN THE WORLD!!! I’m like…for making my son a PBJ? Meanwhile, my wife who does 90% of the work can tweet how she needs an hour for herself to recoup and people will try to shame her.”

67) Dad memes featuring Ryan Reynolds.

“Being a dad isn’t just about eating a huge bag of gummy-bears as your wife gives birth. It means being comfortable with the word hero.”

68)

“I saw dad with mom last night. I think he was stealing my milk.”

69) Father’s Day dad memes.

“When someone forgets to tell you ‘Happy Father’s Day’. Happy Father’s Day. Oops, the wrong person. Meant to send that to me.”

70) We’re reaching the end of funny dad memes…

“Son: Dad, I want to marry. Dad: Say sorry. Son: For what? Dad: Say sorry. Son: But for what? Dad: You first say sorry. Son: But what’s my fault? Dad: You first say sorry. Son: At least tell me the reason. Dad: First, say sorry. Son: OK dad! I’m sorry. Dad: Now you are ready for marriage my son. Your training is complete. You’ve learned to say sorry without any reason.”

71) Hope you enjoyed these funny dad memes…

“Stay at home dad memes: What my friends think I do. What my mom thinks I do. What society thinks I do. What my wife thinks I do. What I think I do. What I actually do.”

Please share these funny dad memes with your dad on Father’s Day or any day!

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About

Does This Look Like An Appropriate Father/Son Interaction To You? refers to parodies of a tweet by John Cardillo, who posted a picture of Joe Biden kissing his son Hunter on the cheek with the caption. Many felt the picture showed a normal expression of love between father and son, and parodied the tweet by posting humorous pictures of two characters from pop culture along with the caption.

Origin

On October 21st, 2020, @JohnCardillo posted a picture of Joe Biden kissing his son Hunter on the cheek, asking, "Does this look like an appropriate father/son interaction to you?" In less than 24 hours, the post gained over 1,900 retweets, 9,000 likes, and 15,000 quote tweets, mostly from people poking fun at his insinuation that Joe and Hunter had an inappropriate relationship.

Spread

After Cardillo's tweet, Twitter users mocked the insinuation that the picture showed an inappropriate father/son interaction. User @Susan_Hennessey pointed out, "This is a picture of a father who has buried two children in unimaginable tragedies" (referring to the deaths of Biden's children Beau and Naomi) "embracing his last living son," gaining over 3,700 retweets and 28,000 likes (shown below, left). User @briantylercohen countered Cardillo's tweet by posting a picture of Donald Trump kissing daughter Ivanka on the lips, gaining over 2,200 retweets and 10,000 likes (shown below, right).

Others made parodies of the tweet by using its text and posting humorous pictures of men from pop culture. For example, user @KenKlippenstein posted a parody using a picture of Ben Shapiro and Jordan Peterson, gaining over 500 retweets and 13,000 likes (shown below, left). User @petridishes posted a picture of Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker with the caption, gaining over 300 retweets and 3,700 likes (shown below, right).

Read Full Entry

About

Does This Look Like An Appropriate Father/Son Interaction To You? refers to parodies of a tweet by John Cardillo, who posted a picture of Joe Biden kissing his son Hunter on the cheek with the caption. Many felt the picture showed a normal expression of love between father and son, and parodied the tweet by posting humorous pictures of two characters from pop culture along with the caption.

Origin

On October 21st, , @JohnCardillo posted a picture of Joe Biden kissing his son Hunter on the cheek, asking, "Does this look like an appropriate father/son interaction to you?" In less than 24 hours, the post gained over 1, retweets, 9, likes, and 15, quote tweets, mostly from people poking fun at his insinuation that Joe and Hunter had an inappropriate relationship.

Spread

After Cardillo's tweet, Twitter users mocked the insinuation that the picture showed an inappropriate father/son interaction. User @Susan_Hennessey pointed out, "This is a picture of a father who has buried two children in unimaginable tragedies" (referring to the deaths of Biden's children Beau and Naomi) "embracing his last living son," gaining over 3, retweets and 28, likes (shown below, left). User @briantylercohen countered Cardillo's tweet by posting a picture of Donald Trump kissing daughter Ivanka on the lips, gaining over 2, retweets and 10, likes (shown below, right).

Others made parodies of the tweet by using its text and posting humorous pictures of men from pop culture. For example, user @KenKlippenstein posted a parody using a picture of Ben Shapiro and Jordan Peterson, gaining over retweets and 13, likes (shown below, left). User @petridishes posted a picture of Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker with the caption, gaining over retweets and 3, likes (shown below, right).

Read Full Entry

The latest from KYM

The experiences we have at school tend to stay with us throughout our lives. It's an impactful time where small acts of kindness, encouragement, and inspiration go a long way.

Schools, classrooms, and teachers that are welcoming and inclusive support students' development and help set them up for a positive and engaging path in life.

Here are three of our favorite everyday actions that are spreading kindness on campus in a big way:

Image courtesy of Mark Storhaug

1. Pickleball to Get Fifth Graders Moving

Mark Storhaug is a 5th grade teacher at Kingsley Elementary in Los Angeles, who wants to use pickleball to get his students "moving on the playground again after 15 months of being Zombies learning at home."

Pickleball is a paddle ball sport that mixes elements of badminton, table tennis, and tennis, where two or four players use solid paddles to hit a perforated plastic ball over a net. It's as simple as that.

Kingsley Elementary is in a low-income neighborhood where outdoor spaces where kids can move around are minimal. Mark's goal is to get two or three pickleball courts set up in the schoolyard and have kids join in on what's quickly becoming a national craze. Mark hopes that pickleball will promote movement and teamwork for all his students. He aims to take advantage of the 20-minute physical education time allotted each day to introduce the game to his students.

Image courtesy of Kaiya Bates

2. Staying C.A.L.M: Regulation Kits for Kids

According to the WHO around 280 million people worldwide suffer from depression. In the US, 1 in 5 adults experience mental illness and 1 in 20 experience severe mental illness, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Kaiya Bates, who was recently crowned Miss Tri-Cities Outstanding Teen for 2022, is one of those people, and has endured severe anxiety, depression, and selective mutism for most of her life.

Through her GoFundMe, Kaiya aims to use her "knowledge to inspire and help others through their mental health journey and to spread positive and factual awareness."

She's put together regulation kits (that she's used herself) for teachers to use with students who are experiencing stress and anxiety. Each "CALM-ing" kit includes a two-minute timer, fidget toolboxes, storage crates, breathing spheres, art supplies and more.

Kaiya's GoFundMe goal is to send a kit to every teacher in every school in the Pasco School District in Washington where she lives.

To help Kaiya achieve her goal, visit Staying C.A.L.M: Regulation Kits for Kids.

Image courtesy of Julie Tarman

3. Library for a high school heritage Spanish class

Julie Tarman is a high school Spanish teacher in Sacramento, California, who hopes to raise enough money to create a Spanish language class library.

The school is in a low-income area, and although her students come from Spanish-speaking homes, they need help building their fluency, confidence, and vocabulary through reading Spanish language books that will actually interest them.

Julie believes that creating a library that affirms her students' cultural heritage will allow them to discover the joy of reading, learn new things about the world, and be supported in their academic futures.

To support Julie's GoFundMe, visit Library for a high school heritage Spanish class.

Do YOU have an idea for a fundraiser that could make a difference? Upworthy and GoFundMe are celebrating ideas that make the world a better, kinder place. Visit upworthy.com/kindness to join the largest collaboration for human kindness in history and start your own GoFundMe.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — It’s a story with a Hollywood happy ending thanks to a talk show host connected with the Oprah Winfrey Network.

Tualatin’s Lenard Loggins has spent the last 3 decades wondering if he would ever find his father, Lenard Terry.

When we first met with Loggins, he said was just 8 when he last saw his father after his parents separated. He has very few memories of the man he shares a name with.

After years of searching, Loggins’ wife Meme used social media to search for Terry. A Facebook connection led Lenard to a half-sister and learned his father was in Arkansas.

The next day, the father and son spoke on the phone for 4 hours.After years of searching, Loggins’ wife Meme used social media to search for Terry. A Facebook connection led Lenard to a half-sister and learned his father was in Arkansas.

“To hear his voice after 34 years, you know, you rush through a bunch of emotions,” Loggins said.”It’s real, but until we’re face-to-face it’s not complete.”

Loggins originally hoped to get enough money to fly his father from Arkansas to Oregon for Thanksgiving.

But when TheT.D. Jakes Show heard about his story, they arranged for his family to have that reunion of a lifetime — in a surprise on national TV.

Loggins, his wife, 2 of his children and Terry were flown out to California to be on a taping of the show.

“(T.D. Jakes) asked me, ‘If your father was here, what would you say,’” Loggins told KOIN 6 News. Then, “He’s, like, ‘Look at this camera.’”

As he did, his father entered the studio.

“I wouldn’t have thought that this would have happened in a million years,” he said.

Both father and son said they’ll never forget being reunited on national TV.

“To put my arms around my son, who I hadn’t seen or touched or hugged since he was a little boy, it was no effort to hold him if you can understand what I’m saying,” Terry said via Skype. “I was holding my son for the first time in 30 some years, so that type of feeling you can’t put into words.”

Loggins said everything he had ever wished for came to life that day.

“It is literally a dream come true,” he said. “What do you say when you have a dream for years and years, but [it turns out] even bigger than what you ever hoped for?”

Before the show, Terry said he wasn’t sure whether Loggins would accept him back into his life. Even after decades apart, Terry said he never forgot his son.

“You don’t forget somebody you love,” he said.

In the wake of such an overwhelming experience, Terry and Loggins said they’re filled with love and gratitude. It will take some time to process everything, but both father and son agree they’re going to remain in each other’s lives one way or another.

“It’s not the show, it’s the end result that matters… I’m forever thankful for it,” Terry said. “It’s more than mind-boggling, it’s heart-boggling.”

Terry is back home in Arkansas for now, but the Loggins family is still hoping to raise enough money to fly him and newly-found siblings out for Thanksgiving.