I am unashamedly the engaging and fun dad/uncle, and I have had multiple kids of friends straight up say to me I’m their dad, like while playing with them and my son who is their age.
It seems sad at first, but then I think to myself that if they’re so hungry for a father figure I’m going to give them attention and set the best example I can, because these little humans matter. And I do not feed into the father label, of course.
The couple kids that come to mind do have fathers at home. Though admittedly one I never see at get-togethers and the other is a proper piece of shit.
Yeaaah I'm really good with kids and play with them interactively when some of the parents never do and are pretty mean to them. It's really awkward to me when they unpromptedly refer to me as dad. One even repeatedly tells his mom and dad he wished I was his dad instead. I can tell the father doesn't like me now and it makes it really awkward
That sucks that you're being punished with awkwardness just because they don't know how to listen and interact with their kids the way the kids want to be interacted with.
"Your mom so fat your father left"
"Your dad so broke he sold you"
"Fatherless? skill issue"
"You're a living reminder"
"Did you hear from your dad yet"
"IPad kid"
"Jordon Peterson isn't your dad"
"Andrew Tate isn't your dad"
"Bro got Hussled University"
Feel free to use when you lose in an online video game.