There is no question that kids who do not have a dad in their life are put in a hard spot when it comes to dinners, dances, and holidays that are dedicated to fathers. Not only is it a reminder that they do not have a dad in their life, it can also make them feel alone or left out from the rest of their friends who have a dad to accompany them.
Thankfully for one little girl, her precious grandfather stepped in and rose to the occasion.
Kelsey Woolverton, aka @kdub1220, posted a sweet moment between her five-year-old daughter and her grandpa that is now going viral.
“This is my 5 year old daughter,” Woolverton wrote on the video about her daughter — Austyn. “My husband, her daddy, passed away when she was just 1 year old. Our local gym is holding their annual Valentine’s Day Daddy Daughter dance. I never want her to miss out on things like this.”
Woolverton goes on to say something simple but totally thought-provoking and tragic. “It breaks my heart that as my journey gets easier … [her’s gets] harder,” she wrote. “Thank God we’ve got grandpa. The greatest man we’ve ever known & her best friend!”
As the video progresses, we see exactly why grandpa is the best man in this mom and daughter’s life as Austyn shares a picture she drew. He is elated at her drawing, asking her if she really drew the artwork since it was just that good. Then, she pops the big question about the Valentine’s Day dance.
“There’s a Valentine’s Day Dance,” she says to him.
“Really?” he asks enthusiastically. “Are you going to it?”
“But we need our dad to go there. My dad is not going to go,” Austyn replies matter of factly.
In that moment, grandpa’s face drops as he nods his head in agreement. “Right,” he states.
Then, she leans in, resting her forearms on his chest. “Will you go with me?” she asks.
“Oh, I would love to, Austyn! That would be the best” he says as he pulls her in for a hug, patting her back.
Then, he just assure her that she’s chosen the right date, he asks, “Can I really go with you?”
Austyn nods with a smile.
Cue tears from everyone watching.
To no one’s surprise, this heart warming moment went viral on TikTok garnering almost 600k views and over 75k likes. Opinions from viewers flooded Woolverton’s comment section, noting how sweet the moment was to watch.
One user noted, “‘Can I really go with you’ Making her know it’s his privilege not an obligation 🥰”
“Now I’m bawling. This is the sweetest thing. I’m sorry your baby lost her daddy, but so happy she has grandpa! Their love radiates from them,” another user wrote.
“they are truly best friends! ❤️,” Woolverton replied.
Others chimed in, relating to Austyn and remembering how their grandfathers took them to their own Daddy Daughter dances. Others mentioned how they were thankful for the men in their life who stepped up to fill that father-role.
“my dad passed away when I was 7 i am thankful for the men who stepped in my uncle and my step dad❤️🙌,” another TikTok user wrote.
Mostly, fans of the video just cannot wait to see Austyn and her grandpa all dressed up on the big day.
One user spoke for all 600k viewers and said, “oh my heart!! please update us with pictures of them for the dance pretty please! I hope they have a blast”
Woolverton says she won’t disappoint. She’s not only uploaded more “grandpa content,” but she promised an udpate about the dance.
