Tonight on 20/20 ` SIREN WAILS running from the police, four young men die. Why were they running? Stop and think. It's not worth your life. And what did they leave behind? I got desperate. I got people telling me that I'm evil. Then ` runaway mums. I never wanted to be a mother. Do you love your children ` more than yourself? And the world's dumbest dads. Don't do that to your kid. Captioning by TVNZ Access Services. Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright TVNZ Access Services 2013 Kia ora. I'm Sonya Wilson. So what makes them do it? Kiwi drivers who put their foot down instead of pulling over for the police. In just the past few years, more than 30 have died after drivers ignored the cops and decided to run. Is it the adrenalin, the thrill of the chase or simply a fear of getting in trouble? Whatever the reason, as Erin Conroy reports, that decision leaves behind a lifetime of consequences. SIREN WAILS ROCK MUSIC It's a split-second decision made. Young drivers on the run... SIREN WAILS ...taking on the police and taking a gamble with life. SOMBRE MUSIC That's probably one of the hardest things ` is he never said goodbye, and he had no last words. Yeah. I walked in, and all I could see was my brother lying on the bed with all the wires around him. (SNIFFS) And at that time I thought, 'He's gone.' (SNIFFS) When a police pursuit ends in death, what we will never know is why they ran. And what they will never know is what they left behind. WAILING PEOPLE SING IN SAMOAN Viane Gaga moved to NZ from Samoa when he was 12. He and his siblings have been raised by their grandmother. To them she was Mum. He'd graduated high school,... He passed his NCEA Level 1, 2, 3. He was a smart boy. ...just landed his first job in construction. His first proper job. Were you proud? Were you proud? Yes, I was proud. (CHUCKLES) He was the family favourite,... Hi. So, this is his room. That's where he sleeps. ...the family provider... My nana, she was telling him to go and, like, take a course or something. But then he say, 'No, I wanna work and I wanna help you to pay that and this ` our school fees, everything.' ...and the only big brother to Tina and Annie. Humble. First thing. He was quite... He was quite... ...kind, sweet, amazing. He was my favourite brother. And he always tells me everything ` his secrets, everything about his life. Yeah, everything. Just... Oh man. Did you think he'd be here when you woke up in the morning? Did you think he'd be here when you woke up in the morning? BOTH: Yeah. Definitely. But on Friday, May 10th, Viane would go out with his friends and wouldn't be coming back. This is what we know happened that night. A car speeds through Manukau. It's spotted by police. A short chase begins. SIREN WAILS It's called off, but the car continues ` on to the motorway, speeding up to 160 K's. Exiting here, again it's seen by police. There's a second brief pursuit. Again, police pull out. Still travelling at 100 K in this 50 zone, the driver loses control, slams into a parked car. 2 in the morning, my auntie came over. All I could think of was, 'What's going on? What's happening?' She was saying, like, 'Hurry up. Get ready. Go get Viane's clothes. 'We have to go to hospital. He's in hospital.' SOLEMN PIANO MUSIC Viane would suffer such severe injuries, his family will turn his life support off two days later. But there were also three other guys in the car, and they would all die that night. Viane was a passenger; Dominic Stehlin was driving. Uesetini Tootoo and George Lomia were also in the car. Four families mourning and a new family that will never be. So, when's your baby due? So, when's your baby due? I'm due in September. Seven months pregnant with her first baby. The last few months? The last few months? Yeah. Chanelle Taupo had been together with Dominic for a year. What did Dominic think when you found out you were pregnant? What did Dominic think when you found out you were pregnant? We were happy and excited. We, like, made a lot of plans to live together, get our own place and things like that. He was excited to be a dad. Chanelle was in Australia, checking out houses. She and Dominic had plans to move there. PHONE CHIMES Thousands of kilometres away, she woke up to a text from Dom's sister saying he'd been killed in a car crash. Uh, I was in shock. Is it real for you yet? Has it sunk in? No. No. So, Dominic was driving that night? Yeah. Yeah. How are you coping with that? Yeah. How are you coping with that? I was really mad at one stage, and I don't know why he didn't pull over, because he would always pull over. But... I don't know what happened that night. Chanelle will never know. But now she faces raising her baby alone. So what's happened to your plans now? I've just got to carry on with the plans that we were supposed to do together, but just me. < And how's that for you? Sad. Not all the facts about this crash are clear. Police are still investigating. It's thought the driver, Dominic, had been drinking and was disqualified. It's believed speed was a contributing factor. But when four guys are in a car, police lights flash to pull over, what made them decide to run? SOMBRE MUSIC So, this is your first time visiting this spot? So, this is your first time visiting this spot? Yeah. After Viane's funeral, mates of the boys visit the crash site. What do you think happens when someone's in that situation and they make a split-second decision to run? It's adrenalin rush, eh, you know. Hypes you up a bit. It's one of those decisions made in the heat of the moment. You don't pull back to think twice; you just... I don't know, you just go for it, eh. What do you think they would have been saying or doing? I just think they just all panicked. They're only young, you know. They're 18, you know ` just finished school. They're worried they're gonna get in trouble with their parents, the cops are coming over and stuff. They just think if they get away, then they'll be all right. What do you say to an 18-year-old? If the police are going to pull you up, just pull over. It's not` not worth your life. It's better to just pull over and get a fine or something instead of your family having to come to the hospital to see you in the morgue. We drove to go and identify my brother's body. We couldn't touch him in the morgue. Like, I wanted to smash that window and wake my brother up and hug him, but I couldn't touch him. Marishka said goodbye to her baby brother, Uesitini. He was the cheeky one, the entertainer in the Tootoo family, just starting to find his way in life. He was excited that him and his friends were going out of the hood and going to go to an actual club or party, an, like every other 18-year-old, what they do when they turn 18 ` round up their friends, and they go out, and they drink, party, and come home and tell the story. But this time, like, my brother, you know, didn't come home. Yeah. Uesetine and George were related, but hadn't hung out together for years... until that night. George decided to go out partying with the boys. I've just been in to see George's family. It was incredibly emotional. His uncle just sat there on the floor weeping, shaking uncontrollably. And said he's just too upset to do an interview. He did give us his blessing to use George's photos and gave us his T-shirt. But seeing him like that was truly heart-breaking, and what he also told me is that George's girlfriend is pregnant too. The two mums-to-be met on the day of George's funeral. So there are two unborn babies? Yeah. She's still, like, won't believe what happened, and she reckons I'm the only one that knows what she's going through. Two babies ` sons, they've found out. Chanelle's decided to name her baby after his dad, Dominic. I will always wish that I could turn back time... to that night and just change the events so they'd still be here. # We're standing side by side. Four families' lives altered forever through one split-second decision. Every night, when I go in his room, it feels empty, and it feels like half of me is gone. What we will never know is why they ran. Stop and think. It's not worth your life. And what they will never know is what they left behind. I just want to say 'I love you, bro.' Never had the chance to say that. # We found love # in a hopeless place. # Next up on 20/20 ` we meet some mums doing what many others would consider unthinkable. Rahna is brutally honest about why she made her decision. I never wanted to be a mother initially. I realised that I had kind of fallen into this role that I had never intended to fall into. Rahna wanted to devote herself full-time to her writing, not to her children. She's the rare mum to admit that she does not pine for the daily grind of parenting. Those couples who would rather read the paper in a room full of strangers than talk to each other. The new $3 Eggs Bene Muffin from Burger King is available until 11am. Perfect for a late breakfast. Or brunch if you're one of those couples. Those couples who would rather read the paper in a room full of strangers than talk to each other. 1 Welcome back. Mothers who don't want to raise their own children ` to many, it's unthinkable, but tonight Elizabeth Vargas meets two women who have done just that. They've received death threats and have been called terrible things but insist they're doing what's best for them and their children. Mother of the year, she isn't. 11 years ago, Brenda Heist dropped off her 8- and 12-year-old children at school and then vanished. In news reports, her grieving family said they assumed she'd been kidnapped or murdered. It was tough. I mean, every prom... My brother graduated from high school and college. I graduated, and she just` she wasn't there. But last month Heist finally reappeared looking worse for wear and made a stunning admission. She had abandoned her family on purpose. It's the rare extreme of a mum gone AWOL. The reaction? Widespread revulsion. 'Don't judge,' says mum Talyaa Liera. She's no Brenda Heist, not even close, but she's faced similar scorn for deciding to live apart from her children. I had a lot of shame because of the way that we think about what mothers should be. That they would never leave their children? That they would never leave their children? Some people think that. Talyaa is a so-called non-custodial mother, a mum without physical custody of her kids. In 2008, she moved to Seattle after a divorce, leaving her three children Nathaniel, Eric and Serena to live with their dad, David, 2800 miles away in Pennsylvania. Talyaa spends her days painting, writing, making music and practising martial arts with her boyfriend. Mothering? Give me a wide shot of your room. I just want to see what it looks like. Well, that's done from afar. I will walk you through the steps of scrambled eggs. Oh sure, she emails recipes for them to cook for themselves... Pancakes. ...and she stays in touch on phone and via Skype. You sound a little like you have a cold. You sound a little like you have a cold. Yeah, I have a cold. But they only see each other in person around once a year. OK, well, Miss Sweetcake, I'll talk to you again soon. OK, well, Miss Sweetcake, I'll talk to you again soon. Bye. We talk all the time. We're very connected. And that's as good as being there? And that's as good as being there? I can't answer that it's as good as. It's just different. I know a lot of people listening to this will want to know, do you love your children? Absolutely. More than anything. Absolutely. More than anything. More than yourself? Should a mother love her children more than herself? Startling as this may sound, there are an estimated 2.4 million non-custodial mothers in the United States. Many of these mothers are heartbroken by the loss of custody. But some mums, like Talyaa, give up custody voluntarily. Author Rahna Reiko is also a non-custodial mother. Her teenage sons were 3 and 5 when she and her husband divorced. Since then, she sees them for four to five hours, three days a week ` an arrangement she initiated. They come over after school, stay until bedtime, and then he picks them up and they go home to bed. Rahna is brutally honest about why she made her decision. I never wanted to be a mother initially. I realised that I had kind of fallen into this role that I had never intended to fall into. Rahna wanted to devote herself full-time to her writing, not to her children. She's the rare mum to admit that she does not pine for the daily grind of parenting. I don't have to get them to brush their teeth, be up until 11.30 to do their homework. I don't miss that. Talyaa has a different reason for leaving. She says post-divorce conflict between her and David was causing enormous stress for her and the kids, and that leaving, while a wrenching decision, was the only way to ease the tension. Why so far away? Why did you have to move 3000 miles away? At that point, was it 10 miles or 3000 miles or three million miles? It wouldn't make any difference. It wouldn't make any difference. At 10 miles, you could see the kids and be a presence in their lives. Right. But in order for the conflict to go away, there had to be a certain distance. David says there was no conflict, and he says Talyaa's sudden transformation from stay-at-home mum to West Coast Bohemian was astonishing. I'm completely surprised, even to this day. And his friends? They were shocked. It's, like, how could a mom leave her children like this? What got into her? Hi, Mamma. But she has a spiritual connection with them... I could just, like, pet you. ...that is rather profound. And accordingly, she doesn't seem to need to have that physical contact with them. How's my boy? How's my boy? (SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY) Complicating matters further, Taylaa's youngest child Eric has Down's syndrome. Their longest time apart was more than two years. Kisses with mum? Well, a computer will have to do. You have a special needs child. Did it make you think that you owed it to him to be there for him? Eric is the kind of child that connects to whomever he's around. It sounds strange to say this from his mother, but people are kind of interchangeable to him. I could tell from how he is that he will have a wonderful life, whoever he's around. Talyaa has been called 'selfish', 'irresponsible' and 'delusional'. Rahna has been called worse. I got death threats. I got people telling me that I am evil, that I'm worse than Hitler, that I'm` that I'm human garbage. Some mothers would say your decision to leave was putting care for yourself ahead of care for your children. I think that better women make better mothers. When you love and know yourself, then you can be a better mother for your children. But how are you being a better mother 3000 miles away? Because I'm in touch with who I am. I know, but how is that benefiting them? It allows me to make choices for my children from my heart rather than from what I think society tells me about what a mother should be. I've never seen him play his drums. I've never seen him play his drums. Oh really? You haven't? I've never seen him play his drums. Oh really? You haven't? No, I don't think I have. You chose to be a mother. Aren't you now just abdicating that responsibility and saying, 'Well, I` I don't wanna sacrifice anything'? Shouldn't mothers sacrifice for their children? I think no mother should have to completely sacrifice. I think to sacrifice your own wants and needs and desires for someone else's life ` what kind of a message is that sending your children? Here's a surprise. Not only his her ex-husband David satisfied with the arrangement. I think it's been great for the family, from my standpoint. Talyaa's son Nathaniel supports his mum despite the distance. Yeah, it's difficult, but, no, I'm not going to grow up hating her and never speaking to her again. I think my mum's a good mum, even from far away. But for 11-year-old Serena, who was only 8 when her mum left, the emotional toll is palpable. When I was growing up, and my mum lived with us, then, um, I have, like, a lot of happy memories. Serena saves every memento from her mother. These are some Christmas wrappings that I saved. These are, like, my birthday cards and stuff. They are kind of, like, special since we don't see her a lot. And she has also become a surrogate mother for Eric. I make Eric's lunch, and I feed him breakfast. Sometimes I am actually kind of angry with her; that I don't have a mother to do what a mother does. In her blog 'The better mother's project' Talyaa defends her decision with her message that there is not only one right way to be a mother. Rahna agrees. She says she has managed to have it all, an award-winning book and a close relationship with her sons. I think if I was a man, then none of this would be an issue. People have this idea of what a good mother is. I don't fit that mould. But I definitely fit the mould of a terrific divorced dad. It's been a while since I've seen your face. It's been a while since I've seen your face. Yeah, it has. Talyaa has lived apart from her children for five years now. We checked in with Serena just last week. She is 13 years old now and says adjusting to life without mum has become easier. Our relationship is really a lot closer than it was before. We talk about, like, relationship problems and, you know, what's going on in the girl's body and all that. On the last day of eighth grade, he's gonna ask her out... 'And I just` I really love my mum a lot.' But Serena's vision of her future life as a mother? As a mum, I never wanna be apart from my children. I want to make that perfect family that she was never able to do. I want that really badly now. Mamma loves you. Bye. Next up on 20/20 ` we go from mums giving up kids, to a kid giving up her parents. Today a judge granted a temporary restraining order... Her parents were blindsided when a local reporter broke the news to them. I spoke with the teen's father. He didn't wanna go on camera. He said, 'Our daughter is suing us.' Really? (CHUCKLES) 1 Welcome back. We've all heard that divorce rates are on the rise, but what about children divorcing their parents? Tonight we meet a family at war over a pregnancy that goes all the way to court. It's a family feud as big as Texas ` Holy crap. ...two teens in love, their parents in hate,... Get outta here. ...their lawyers in court... Right now, it's a victory for life. ...and the media in a tizzy. They told me the allegations were false. At the centre of it all, 16-year-old Reagan. Hers was a typical childhood in Houston's ranch country ` horseback riding, volleyball. But things started going south when her parents, Jeff and Denise Coen, split up. Was that hard on you? It was hard on me because, you know, I was so used to seeing them, you know, together in the same house. During the turbulence, Reagan met Evan Madison on Facebook, a fellow horse lover from a neighbouring school. She was just sweet and kind ` just, everything I want. He was just very sweet, a gentleman. And the next thing you know, you're dating. Dating was soon more than holding hands and cuddling. How quickly did it become sexual? Probably not until we started dating for like three or four months. Were you worried at all about possibly getting pregnant? Um, I was worried, but, I mean, I was on birth control, and, um, I quit taking it. And then the moment I quit taking it is whenever... You got pregnant. > You got pregnant. > Mm-hmm. A positive pregnancy test said it all. What was your reaction when you found out she was pregnant? Shocked. I didn't` wasn't expecting to be 16 and having a baby, that's for sure. Did you have any opinion about babies and abortion and teen pregnancy? I'd always watch, like, Teen Mom and stuff. WAILING I feel the same way. I saw, you know, all those moms that are out there. They can do it with their babies. At first the young couple kept the pregnancy a secret, then fessed up to Evan's mum and dad, Jaime and Joey. I'm the boss. That's how that works. Were you upset? Were you upset? It's just kind of like a wow moment. I was going to support the kids. I mean, which I` whatever they decided. Jaime offered to break the news to Reagan's mum whose reaction was quite different. Like, 'We'll take care of this.' You know, 'I'm going to take care of business.' And, um... And what did you mean, 'take care of business'? And what did you mean, 'take care of business'? Basically terminate the pregnancy. Two mums, two radically different views. Jaime was herself a teen mum. I mean, I'm definitely not endorsing it. I mean, it requires a lot of dedication and hard work and sacrifice. But it can be done. Reagan's mum, Denise, admits she had an abortion and wanted her daughter to consider it as an option. There were accusations you had talked about trying to slip her some kind of an abortion pill. It was more of a joking, you think I could, type thing. Let somebody else be in the same position and see what they would say. Emotions between the two families soon hit a boiling point when Jeff learned his only child was pregnant. What did you think should happen? It's a mistake, done by kids that obviously don't know what they're doing. We'd sit down and have conversations with her, and, yes, they were heated conversations, and` and` and I did let her have it. I did absolutely let her have it. Did you feel you were being pressured? Well, my dad stepped in with my mum and said, 'I don't care. You're going to get an abortion,' and, um, 'It's my way or the highway.' You know, that kind of attitude. Do you respect her decision? Honestly, no. I don't respect her decision. Today a judge granted a temporary restraining order... Her parents were blindsided when a local reporter broke the news to them. I spoke with the teen's father. He didn't wanna go on camera. He said, 'Our daughter is suing us.' Really? (CHUCKLES) CHUCKLES: You know, she was somewhat nonplussed. And she said, 'Yeah.' In the lawsuit, it says that her parents had done multiple actions ` removal of the cell phone, removal from school the previous day, forcing her to get two jobs, taking away her car and other demands, because she was refusing to give in to their coercion to have an abortion. That is inaccurate. The way it was laid out was wrong. We weren't trying to force her or coerce her, or what have you, at this stage of the game, at this point, you know, we were working to, you know, make a plan for life. The teen father's father not happy. The teen with her boyfriend... The case became a national media sensation. You have the determination to be a good father? I said I hope that you're proud that you just sued your parents. I just want to let you know that those attorneys are not going to be there for you, you know? I said they got what they wanted. Denise and Jeff deny trying to force their daughter to do anything, saying Reagan has been manipulated by media hungry lawyers. Still, they signed a court order. Jeff was clearly unhappy about it. We basically had our child ripped away from us through the court system. Parental rights just been` they're just done. You're done today. At nearly five months pregnant, we found Reagan shopping for baby clothes. She wasn't working, and Evan had lost his after-school job at a local grocery store. How do you plan to support yourself? How are you gonna care for your baby? We're going to try to be very money wise. We've actually saved about $300, $400. That won't get you too far. That won't get you too far. No. I mean, it's going to be hard. Perfect. Weeks later, decked out in cowboy gear, the teenagers formally tied the knot. We are gathered today to celebrate this woman in holy matrimony. Reagan's parents were not invited. It ripped my heart out. I never, ever, ever thought I could feel that way in my life. It's one of the things that parents look forward to, watching them get married and be there with them through all of the big events of their lives. Next up on 20/20 ` want to make the big bucks? Well, forget about med or law school and get some training as a nanny. Here in la-la land, a top-flight nanny can rake in more than your average lawyer, cos there's now a crisis ` a shortage of top-flight nannies. So the best can charge the earth. There's somebody I know very well making about $270,000 right now. She works three and a half days a week. I have nannies who have million-dollar mortgages on homes, pass-me-down Pradas and ball gowns. Why were they running? 1 Welcome back. Want to make some big money? Then train as a nanny and get yourself to Hollywood. The world's super-rich want you to look after their kids, and they're definitely willing to pay. UPBEAT MUSIC I live a very privileged life. When ABC family series Beverly Hills Nannies hit the airwaves, the behind-the-scenes daily lives were often jaw-dropping. I need you to organise my milk. Your what? Your what? I need it organised by date and by ounces. So, like, this is March 14th, 3 ounces. Are you stocking up for the apocalypse? Yep, that's a breast-milk cataloguing situation underway. Now, here in la-la land, a top-flight nanny can rake in more than your average lawyer, cos there's now a crisis ` a shortage of top-flight nannies. So the best can charge the earth. There's somebody I know very well making about $270,000 right now. She works three and a half days a week. I have nannies who have million-dollar mortgages on homes, pass-me-down Pradas and ball gowns. Here in West Hollywood, ground zero for this new species of super nannies, is, you guessed it, the Elizabeth Rose Agency. If they want a nanny that is tri-lingual, who is scuba-certified, I'm gonna look for it. Mandarin-speaking nannies is quite popular right now. (SPEAKS MANDARIN) In San Francisco right now it's quite popular to have a Mormon nanny. The Mormon nannies ` they don't feel they have to worry about them coming in a little hungover. Here at the agency, they are struggling to meet the crazy nanny demand. This is Nikki Goldfield, here for an interview. I've been a nanny for, coming up, 15 years. Nikki? Come on up. Joy's ready. But there's a problem. I went on an interview the other day, and immediately she said, 'You're too pretty.' After all, Jude Law had a month-long affair with his nanny. And Robin Williams? He married his. We placed a phenomenal nanny, and my client's wife called me and said, 'Jack, the nanny's terrific, 'but I can't believe how attentive my husband is. He comes home early. 'He's spending more time with the kids.' Well, lo and behold, we find out that the nanny's been swimming topless every day. So, what's a pretty nanny to do? Limited makeup, tie your hair back, nothing sexy clothes-wise. Pretty Nikki is still looking for work. Part of the reason for the top-flight nanny shortage. These days many fancy families are in the market for two or three child care professionals under one roof. Hungry. Inside this spectacular Spanish-deco mansion, marketing mogul and recent transplant from Florida, Nate Poupko lives with his wife, Stephanie, newborn twin daughters and a rambunctious toddler named Zac, along with a housekeeper, two baby nurses, and a nanny. For Nate Poupko, searching for the perfect people to care for his prized possessions, the kids, that's become like a quest for the holy grail. I've had nannies ask for six figures and benefits, and I was, like, 'Hell, I want that job.' That thick folder ` just some of the nanny resumes Mr Poupko has perused. How many resumes did you read? Close to a hundred. Close to a hundred. And how many interviews? Close to a hundred. And how many interviews? Two to three dozen. And then how many trial periods? And then how many trial periods? 10 trials. His home is a flurry of fast-moving feet and Lysol wipettes. In this house, very very clean people. That's Monica, the housekeeper. She's a single mother of two. This job never stops. I don't have, you know, time for nothing. On the day we met, he was trying out the latest candidate, an interviewee so nervous she begged us not to show her face. I'm training a nanny for Zac today. It's her first day. That's Kimberley, who once owned her own nanny agency. Right now she's pulling double duty as the underslept night nurse for the twins and little Zac's nanny. She needs help. The day starts with the bible ` a meticulous diary of little Zac's activities. 9.40 ` put in crib. And then, say, 9.52 ` asleep on the monitor. An exhaustive list of dos and don'ts. We always put it on these plates here. This is a tiny bit cold, so we probably should microwave it just maybe five, six seconds. And make sure there's always five full cups of water here, cos that's what Stephanie wants. I try and time going to the bathroom when Zac is sleeping. I literally run to the bathroom. It's right round the corner. (LAUGHS) And I go as fast as I can, and then I get back in here, hopefully within two minutes. Kimberley seems to get it, but what about the others? Cori, who looks after the twins, has been on the job only three weeks ` still on trial. Take care of the babies, feed them when they hungry and just be sweet to them. After a 12-hour shift here with the Poupkos, she heads off to her second full-time job. I have a lot of, you know, responsibility. I have a home. Um, I'm a widow. My husband pass away four years ago. And grandkids. Cori seems to have the right stuff. BABY CRIES BABY CRIES Uh-oh! Someone's not happy. But Cori did not make the cut. I really never thought it was going to be this hard finding someone that's the right fit and someone that treats our children like their children. It's not easy to ace the Poupko challenge. Sometimes they come over for a trial and after a day or two you find out they're not the right fit. The Poupko house is wired with cameras. They can watch these rooms from anywhere on the planet. Paranoid? A nanny arrested, accused of slapping a baby. Well, watch some nanny horror videos on YouTube and you might not think so. Mr Poupko spotted a need and a niche, and launched a website ` nannyreviews.com One night I was surfing online, and there's thousands of websites that are geared towards, like, automobile reviews, reviews on TVs, reviews on toaster ovens. It's crazy. There wasn't a resource site for, you know, for your children. So, basically, this is the blog. 'Safety, finding a nanny in your area, five hiring mistakes, pros and cons of hiring a college student.' Just what people are looking for and what people need. After months of searching, hundreds of resumes, finally the Poupkos feel they've reached their nanny nirvana, and the solution was right under their noses. And they promoted Monica from housekeeper to become Zac's nanny. They put a life in my hands that I have to take care of. The search for the perfect nanny has finally ended. We're fast and furiously looking for a housekeeper. But the quest for the ultimate housekeeper has only just begun. Next on 20/20 ` the world's dumbest dads. Check out this dad at a theme park, leaving his son unattended in the splash zone. OK, he's not big enough to get in the water ride, so we'll just park him near where the water will hit him and he'll get kind of the experience. Don't do that to your kids. The city is ripe with choice, and making the right one comes with experience. Opportunity may only knock once, but the allure of the city does tend to lean on the doorbell. Streets are paved with possibility; sidewalks punctuated with promise. ROCK MUSIC The city is ripe with choice, and making the right one comes with experience. And experience will tell you that faith in quality is still more rewarding than quantity. Well,... Well,... ICE CLINKS ...in spirit anyway. McKenna Bourbon. Why were they running? 1 Welcome back. Being a parent can be a challenge at times, but even on your worst days, you're probably Parent of the Year compared to some of these dads. Usually we think of dad as the one holding the video camera, recording everybody else. TECHNO MUSIC Now, though, the lens is turning, with fathers taking starring roles. RAPS: # This is how I roll ` poopy diaper, sip cups outta control. Imma put a stop to it. Whether it's doling out unusual forms of punishment, engaging in epic lapses in judgment, or just being a huge dork, Dad is going viral. # I'm a daddy and I know it. # Here's another dumb dad. Look at that. There are valuable lessons embedded in these clips. To figure out what they are, we enlisted dad and comedian Hal Sparks and parenting expert Dr Jeff Gardere to take a look at our fatherhood lowlife reel. Ooh! Exhibit A ` this dad giving new meaning to the term penalty kick. (CRIES) Parents think this stuff is cute. And that child, subconsciously or in the future, may not trust his father as much. The kid takes it in his stride, though ` doonk ` falls down and gets right back up. # Five, six, seven, eight. # Check out this dad at a theme park, leaving his son unattended in the splash zone. OK, he's not big enough to get in the water ride, so we'll just park him near where the water will hit him and he'll get kind of the experience. Don't do that to your kids. From the theme park... to the ballpark ` often the venue for classic dad discombobulation. Look at this guy. He's got a baby in one hand and a ball in the other? This dad doesn't even manage to hold on to the kid. His daughter just tumbles out of his lap into the bleachers. The look on her face pretty much tells the story. The look on her face pretty much tells the story. Yeah, 'You idiot'. She gave him the death stare, and he deserved it. Is there something about the hardwiring of the male brain that makes us just slightly less capable in this arena? I think you're being very kind by saying 'slightly less capable'. I think we're a lot dumber in some of these things. Yes, of course, it's the way that we're hardwired. We're much more rough and tumble. We're not as nurturing. There really is something about a sporting event that can summon a father's evil side. Look at hockey coach and dad Martin Trembley during the post-game handshake ceremony. He looked back, and he scoops his leg. You do realise you're a grown man, right? The 13-year-old he tripped broke his wrist. Trembley was banned from the league, and sent to the grown-up penalty box, jail, for 15 days. I think this peaks the bad-dad meter into bad human ` well into bad human at this point, overall. It gets even darker than that. This surveillance video from a gas station in Detroit at 3 in the morning became a national story. Look closely at who's driving, a 9-year-old girl, her father in the passenger's seat. She drove me here, 9 years old. 'Yeah, she's 9. She drove us here! Awesome! I have such a system. Is that camera on?' Listen, we're leaving, and she's driving. I'm drunk. The surveillance video went viral and the dad, Sean Weimer, went to court, where he was sentenced to two years' probation. If you're that stupid, I want you caught on tape. Speaking of punishment, remember this dad? Tommy Jordan made a huge splash, even getting interviewed on 20/20 after he decided to take his daughter to task for an anti-parent rant she posted on Facebook. When your parents tell you do something, you do it. You don't go, 'God, fine.' In retaliation, he went Eastwood on her laptop. The only lesson this taught this guy's daughter was, 'Dad is a maniac, and I can't wait to move out.' Dr Gardere says this is the exact wrong way to punish your kid. Good parenting would be all of that time and effort that he spent at making that video, spending that time instead sitting with his daughter, talking with her about her behaviour. Now, we should say not all of the caught-on-tape moments involving dads are negative. Let's wrap up with this thing up with clip from a father letting it all go. He's become known as the Dancing Dad on the internet. I think the dancing technique was spectacular, it served a purpose, and I stand by him 100%. That's some awesome dad work right there. Now, if you want to check out any of our stories again, head to our website. You can also email us at... or go to our Facebook page. We're at... and let us know what you make of tonight's show. Hanks for all your feedback over the week. If you've got a story idea you think we might be interested in, drop us a line too. That's our show for tonight. We are off air next week, thanks to the special two-hour finale of Once Upon a Time,