Dax Crowder wasn\u2019t always a father \u2014 before Junie, he was a biker with a prison record and a violent past. Raised in Pueblo, Colorado, he served three years for brutally assaulting a man who had hurt his sister. After prison, he got sober, joined a motorcycle charter, and eventually met Renee, a kindergarten teacher who became his wife.<\/p>\n
By the time their daughter Junie was born, Dax had become a deeply devoted father. Inside his biker vest, over his heart, he wore a tiny yellow patch with a white \u201cJ\u201d stitched onto it for Junie. Every Sunday, she traced it with her finger.<\/p>\n
When Junie\u2019s goldfish Sparkle died just before school Pet Day, she didn\u2019t want to bring a stuffed animal like the other kids. She wanted to bring the \u201cbest thing in the house\u201d \u2014 her dad.<\/p>\n
The morning of Pet Day, Dax admitted he was terrified. Not of the school, but of frightening the children because of his tattoos, beard, and biker vest. He worried Junie would become \u201cthe scary biker\u2019s kid.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Junie clipped a pink leash to his vest, called him \u201cGood Daddy,\u201d and proudly led him into class.<\/p>\n
In front of 25 kindergarteners, she introduced him:<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is my pet. His name is Daddy. He eats coffee and sweet things. He looks scary, but he is soft. He braids my hair, makes pancakes shaped like cars, sleeps next to my bed when I\u2019m sick, and cries during sad dog books.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then she told the class:<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s not really a pet. He\u2019s my Daddy. And he\u2019s the best thing in my whole house.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went silent before the children \u2014 and then the parents and teacher \u2014 started clapping.<\/p>\n
The audio recording later went viral online, gaining millions of views. But when Dax finally heard it, the only thing he cared about was this:<\/p>\n
\u201cShe didn\u2019t say my real name. The internet only knows me as her dad.\u201d<\/p>\n
A year later, Junie still asks him every Sunday morning to kneel down so she can unzip his vest, trace the \u201cJ\u201d patch over his heart, and say:<\/p>\n
\u201cGood Daddy.\u201d<\/p>\n
And every time, he answers:<\/p>\n
\u201cGood kid.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"