St. George mom dresses up as a 'dad' for son's school activity


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ST. GEORGE — To be a good parent, it's important to remember the little things, as those often mean more to your kids than the big things.

There is no doubt Whitney Kittrell loves her kids. Trips to parks near their St. George home to play on slides and swings are just as good as anything that costs money.

"They don't expect Disneyland inside your home. They just want you to love them," said Whitney Kittrell. "They're the reason I do everything I do. You do your best, and that's all that really matters."

Sometimes doing your best can be tough, especially for single parents. Kittrell went through a tough divorce and now has full custody of her kids.

"It's been a struggle at times,” she said. “We definitely have our better days and days that are a little bit harder."

One of the hardest days recently was when her 5-year-old son, Lucas, came home from kindergarten and told his mom about an upcoming breakfast in school called “Dads and Donuts.”

"And he said, ‘Well I don't have a dad,’ and I said, ‘I know, so do you want your papa to go with you?’ and he said no,” Kittrell recalled. “So I said, ‘Well, what do you want to do?’ and he said, ‘Well, I want you to go. You’re my dad, too.’"

Kittrell decided she was going to be dad for a day.

"That morning, I just threw on some basketball shorts and a T-shirt, and we bought some tube socks and threw the tennis shoes on and painted on the mustache," Kittrell said.

Kittrell and her son went to school that morning, and Lucas’ smile was bigger than ever.

"She dressed herself like a dad," said Lucas.

To be a good parent, it's important to remember the little things, as those often mean more to your kids than the big things. (Family photo)
To be a good parent, it's important to remember the little things, as those often mean more to your kids than the big things. (Family photo)

"He was just happy,” Kittrell said. “We sat by a bunch of his friends from class and just explained, ‘Hey this is my mom. She’s my dad, too. So I brought her.’"

She put the pictures on her Facebook page, thinking it wasn't a big deal. Kittrell said the photos “blew up” on social media.

It turns out, the little things are pretty big — just ask Kittrell.

"I'm sure I’m not the perfect parent, but I love my kids, and in the end that's all that really matters," she said.

It matters to Lucas, who loves his mom very much.

Contributing: Xoel Cardenas

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