Parenting doesn't stop once kids are teenagers or young adults. Sure, older kids need support and guidance in different ways and probably less often than young children. But during challenging circumstances, moms and dads can still make a meaningful impact with the right message.
Recently, a college student shared the text messages she received from her father following a breakup. Fallon Thompson, who plays volleyball at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, posted a video of her dad's touching advice, and the internet instantly fell in love with him.
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Fallon Thompson's TikTok video of her dad's advice after her breakup has gone viral.
In mid-May, Fallon posted a TikTok video featuring her father's supportive texts after witnessing her recent breakup. "POV: You just got dumped in your driveway and your dad saw the whole thing," she captioned the update. As of writing, the post has attracted 14 million views and more than 2.5 million likes.
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The father offered his daughter 'perspective' in the wake of the split.
"Hey baby girl…..here is some perspective from your old man," the message from her dad, Scott, began. "I have had lots of relationships….from one-night stands, to flings, to friends w/benefits, to girlfriends, to live-in girlfriends, and then I met your Mom."
Scott continued, "I can say with certainty that when I met her, it was instantly different. I can also say that I knew it was different because I went through those other experiences."
The caring father explained that what Fallon was dealing with was "necessary in order for you to one day be able to discern when a person is really right for you."
He added, "I can also say that even though I was broken up with, and in one instance I was cheated on, it was worth it, to get where I am now."
In his text, Fallon's dad offered hard-earned advice.
In the lengthy text, Fallon's dad shared that he did not "for one second" wish he was still with any of his exes, despite how heartbroken he felt at the time when they parted ways.
"Some of the best advice I will ever give you is this…When someone lets you know that you are not for them, deal with the pain and the hurt with the knowledge that this person just gave you back the most valuable thing in the world- your time," he explained.
Scott advised his daughter to "be grateful for the experience" with that person and the good times they had. But also, "rejoice in the knowledge that your life is still completely yours and you have not wasted it shackled to someone that did not completely want you."
Scott then left his daughter with a fitting analogy.
"There are cows and bulls in this life. When a cow sees a storm, they run away from it. What ends up happening is they end up being tortured by the storm longer as they are actually keeping themselves in the storm longer," he shared.
Fallon's father continued, "However, when a bull sees a storm, they run towards it, facing the onslaught head on. Initially, it's terrible but they are strong, and they can weather the storm, and because they ran towards it, the storm passes them quickly, and they are soon in a peaceful place."
Finally, he tied it all together, encouraging his daughter to "be the bull."
"Lean into your storm, embrace the suck, and let it fill you up," he wrote. "You are strong enough to endure, and very soon you will be at peace. Still on your path, achieving your goals, and with all of your time still in surplus. Love Dad."
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TikTok users couldn't get over how sweet her father is.
In the comments, TikTok users were deeply moved by the wise and caring father.
One wrote, "This is genuinely the sweetest thing I have ever seen."
Another person commented, "Your dad just fixed a little part of me; thanks for sharing and I'm so sorry queen❤️ ."
"'So be the bull and lean into your storm.' * crying in daddy issues * ," someone else wrote, as another echoed, "Well Scott you have us all crying ."
Meanwhile, another TikTok user declared, "Oh, to have an emotionally intelligent dad ."
Yet another person summed up Scott's advice perfectly, writing, "I'm legit SOBBING, your dad doesn't even realize it, but I think he just helped heal a lot more little girls than just his ."
