Goofy Dad’s Attempt To Make Special Needs Son Laugh Has Entire Mall In Stitches.

Some dads will do just about anything to get a laugh from their kids.

Rick Houck of New Jersey is one of those parents. Rick and his wife, Jennifer Hasson-Houck, cherish every second they have with their four sons. They’ve learned to never take the time they have with their kids for granted, because when their son Jacob was four years old, he almost died from a brain tumor.


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“It usually takes life before the age of two,”Rick said. “He’s not supposed to be here. We are enjoying every day we got with him.”

Jacob is now 21 and has special needs as a result of the cancer he fought all those years ago. Rick and Jennifer routinely go to great lengths to make Jacob smile. Rick’s recent attempt to entertain his son was so cute, it has attracted attention all over the web.

It all started when the family was walking through the Deptford Mall when Rick broke off from the group and disappeared. Slyly, Rick stepped into a clothing store called Buckle and approached assistant manager Nicole Prodin.


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“Hey, can I ask a favor?”Rick asked. “My son has special needs and I wanna make him laugh. I’d like to pose in your window, if possible…â€

Nicole was charmed by Rick’s attempt to entertain his son, so she went outside the store and started recording the moment on her phone. As Jennifer and Jacob walk down the hall, you can hear Jennifer telling her son that she doesn’t know where Dad is.


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“There he is!” Jacob says, pointing excitedly towards the store window. Sure enough, there is Rick in the window, posing like a burly mannequin among the clothes and shoes.

As Nicole’s camera rolled, Rick proceeded to clown around for his son’s benefit, but it wasn’t just Jacob who got a good laugh out of this devoted dad’s goofyness. All around, people in the mall began to giggle as Rick clowned around in the window.


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“I was surprised to see the reaction of the people at the mall,”Rick later said.

“The whole mall was stopping to watch the action and it clearly didn’t just make my entire night,” Nicole added.

But the laughs didn’t end there. Nicole was so cheered by Rick’s efforts to make his son laugh that she shared the video she’d taken on Facebook, captioning it, “You guys, my night was made tonight by a man who is such a great father.â€


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The clip soon went viral, with viewers from all over the world chiming in about how heartwarming it is to see someone go all out just to make their kid laugh. Rick wasn’t the least bit embarrassed to act silly in public because he cherishes his time with his family and knows that everything can always change in the blink of an eye.

Watch Rick’s performance in the shop window below, and be sure to share this story to remind everyone to never miss a chance to laugh with their family!


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