Girl Who Lost Her Dad Asks Grandpa to Accompany Her to a Valentine's Day "Daddy-Daughter" Dance
Kids are fragile. They are oblivious to the harsh realities of the world. Death is a particularly difficult concept for children to wrap their heads around. Especially when it's a parent they lose as nothing can replace them. Although families help them adjust, special occasions and social events like parent-teacher meetings, sports tournaments, or school dance competitions can prove a challenge as the little ones see their peers accompanied by their parents.
Five-year-old Austyn faced a similar situation when it came time for her local gym's annual Valentine's Day Daddy-Daughter dance. As much as she wanted to go, her father passed away when she was just one year old. So she asked the other male figure in her life to accompany her to the dance.
Kelsey Woolverton, Austyn's mother, took to TikTok to share a moving video of how her little one adorably broached the subject with her grandfather. Woolverton, who goes by @kdub1220 on the platform, captioned the video: "I am not crying."
The text overlay on the video reads: "This is my 5-year-old daughter. My husband, her daddy, passed away when she was just one. Our local gym is holding its annual Valentine's Day Daddy-Daughter dance. I never want her to miss out on things like this."
She added on an emotional note, "It breaks my heart that as my journey gets easier, hers gets harder. Thank God, we have got grandpa, the greatest man we have ever known and her best friend."
The video begins with Austyn showing her grandpa a painting and him gushing over it. "Oh, that is very cute. Did you draw this whole thing yourself?" he exclaims. Immediately after, the little girl informs her grandpa of the dance. The grandpa curiously asks: "Are you going to it?" Her response to his question was heart-wrenching. She said: "But we need our dad to go there. My dad is not going to go."
What happens next in the video is heart melting. Austyn falls into her grandpa's arms and asks him, "Will you go with me?" He gushes over the little girl and replies, "Oh, I would love to, Austyn. That would be the best. Can I really go with you?" Austyn smiles shyly and nods a yes.
A dance with grandpa is the cutest thing ever. Austyn is one lucky girl. The amount of love the video received is proof of it. It amassed 1.3 million views on TikTok and more than 170k likes. The little girl stole the show with her cuteness, and people went gaga over her.
A TikTok user, @JC, praised her grandpa and wrote: "By saying 'can I go with you?' he is [letting] her know it is his privilege, not an obligation." Another TikToker, @kelly_t_775, said, "How did you all hold it together? I'm bawling my eyes out. What an amazing papa."
A third, @briiii, requested: "Can we please have more grandpa content?" Woolverton obliged. She shared more grandpa-granddaughter content and promised to post Valentine's day dance videos. @user4814973377448 declared: "She has got the best dad replacement in her grandpa."