Single mom can't believe she passed the bar exam — but it's her kids' reaction that stole the show

When a single mother of two kids contemplated a career change, she had no idea how far her grit and determination would take her. Rhiannah Gordon (@yougonloverhi) and her adorable babies won millions of hearts on the internet after she posted a clip of her passing the CA Bar Exam on the first try. While it was a personal milestone for her, Gordon’s son and daughter were also overwhelmed with joy and excitement as their mom checked the results on the computer. The heartwarming reactions lit up social media with 30.1 million views. 

Gordon, 35, set up the camera to film their reactions to her exam results. As she waited for the results to load, her son, Flinn, 12, stood frozen behind her in anticipation. Meanwhile, her daughter, Rhiley, 10, was already shedding tears from nerves. “She was crying for 30 minutes before. Stressing me out,” the mom wrote in an overlay text on the video. The family patiently waited for the results to be out, and then came the moment of truth. “Oh my God!” Gordon exclaimed before bursting into tears. When she turned the camera towards her kids, both her son and daughter were sobbing out of sheer happiness. They were proud of her mother’s success and could not hold back their tears. The babies rushed to their mother for a group hug as Gordon cried in disbelief. 

Passing a competitive test like the CA Exam Bar is no ordinary feat, and the tears were symbolic of all the hard work and pain the family had endured for the past few years. In an interview with TODAY.com, Gordon revealed how she came to pursue law after having worked a 9 - 5 for years. It began with her therapist encouraging her to take the first step. “My therapist was like, ‘If you concentrate on all the bad things that can happen, you’re not going to do it,’” she told the outlet. The mom began studying for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) after winding up her 9 - 5 day job. She would leave the dinner on the table for her kids and go and study in the odd night hours. 

“It was super intense. I would read a page and not understand a word, and then I'd be up Googling until it clicked,” Gordon recalled. Her first accomplishment came in the form of admission into the University of California, Davis. For three years after, she juggled her academics, a full-time job at the Department of Transportation, and a family of three. The mom acknowledged her kids’ patience and cooperation during her journey. She tried to maintain the usual routine she had with her children, but with minor changes. “I took them to their sports practices, I was at their games, but sometimes that meant if they looked up at me in the stands, my head would be in a book.” 

All in all, it was all worth it. Now, the family can rejoice and have a better shot at life. The beautiful moment that went viral on TikTok touched millions of hearts on the internet. @brttanymacahdo0 wrote, “What a beautiful moment! Congratulations, your babies will never forget this moment!” While @kimmib23 hailed, “Their reaction is priceless.” 

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