Dad Thanks Reddit For Genius Parenting Tip He Received 14 Years Ago That Made Him 'Look Like Parent Of The Year'
The advice he got over a decade ago made his daughter's high school graduation incredibly special.
sebra | Shutterstock Being a parent isn’t an easy job. Just keeping up with the necessities can be overwhelming when you’re responsible for a young human’s well-being. Anything extra is like a gift. One man found that kind of special gift in the form of a Reddit post. Now, he’s taken the time to thank the person who offered some great parenting advice that made him look like an excellent father.
A dad had the perfect graduation gift ready for his daughter thanks to a parenting hack he saw on Reddit 14 years ago.
One father took to Reddit to express his thanks for the parenting advice he received on the same website over a decade ago and to encourage other parents to do the same. “14 years ago, my daughter was 4,” he explained. “She was getting ready to start school in September and was super excited.”
“Someone on Reddit back [then] posted that they received a book at [high school] graduation, ‘Oh, The Places You’ll Go,’ signed by every one of their teachers from kindergarten to grade 12,” he said.
While this gift would be quite the undertaking, he decided to go for it. “I thought that was a fabulous idea,” he said. “And stole it. So every year, without fail, I asked her teachers to write something in the book, hidden, of course, from my daughter.”
Now, his daughter has finally reached her long-awaited high school graduation, and he couldn’t have been prouder.
“This week she graduated and I finally gave her the book,” he described. “She graduated at the top of her class. She got so many awards, I lost count.”
Leeloo The First | Pexels
He was just as thrilled to present her with the gift that had been years in the making as she was to receive it. “But when she saw that book … and how everyone throughout her life not only believed in her, but knew she would be great, well, that gave her an overwhelming sense of pride,” he recounted. “She sobbed happy tears.”
In addition to the love and support the girl felt from the teachers she had throughout the years, she knew her parents had been there for her as well. “She also realized how much time would have gone into it, and knew that her parents loved her deeply,” he said. “And we too have always believed in her.”
This dad’s experience proves just how important it is to be surrounded by a strong community when you’re parenting.
Some would argue that the very act of graduating and closing that chapter of your life is a gift in and of itself. There are certainly plenty of options out there for good graduation gifts, and this dad likely would have come up with something fine on his own. However, by leaning on community and accepting some advice, he showed just how important it can be to depend on others for help, especially when in the throes of something difficult like parenting a young child.
The U.K.’s Mental Health Foundation pointed out that the phrase “it takes a village” can be a difficult one to apply in every life because not everyone has that kind of natural support system set up. That’s why it’s important to seek out that support when it’s needed.
“Peer support is central to our work with parents and families, and for good reason,” they said. “Connecting people with shared experiences can give a unique sense of understanding and belonging that we need as parents.”
Because he was open to receiving advice from a stranger who understood exactly what he was going through, this dad was able to surprise his daughter with a gift she’ll never forget. He recognized the importance of community and accepting help when appropriate, something that is good for any parent to do.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
