A single mom is so grateful for the kind strangers who helped make her son’s birthday extra special this year. Before her son turned 8, the young boy’s mom racked her brain for ways to recognize his birthday. She came up with an idea: They could celebrate together at a park.
Once they arrived at the park, some kind strangers joined in and “made [her] son feel super special.”
More from CafeMom: Teen Mom Who Went Viral After Writing Essay About Giving Birth at 14 Celebrates College Acceptance
Strangers at the park noticed that the single mom's son, James, was celebrating his birthday.
On TikTok, single mom Ashley Giselle Jeffords, shared a video of the kind gesture. She explained that she and her son James arrived at the park and found a place to sit. As Ashley opened the cake and the candle, a man noticed and asked if it was James’ birthday.
What he did next made the mom feel “so blessed.” The man “called everybody to come sing happy birthday,” she shared in the clip.
The simple gesture meant a lot to the mom.
Ashley was really worried about how to make her son feel special and loved on his birthday. In a follow-up video, she explained that she doesn’t “want [her] son to feel like he’s not loved or cared for or wanted because the family that needs to be there isn’t there for him.”
The fact that “a lovely family” at the park sang to James for his birthday brought the mom to tears.
“I’m not crying, you’re crying,” one TikTok user commented on the heartwarming video. In response, Ashley wrote, “I cried so much, it was a wholesome moment.”
More from CafeMom: Mom Couldn’t Figure Out Why Her House Smelled Like Poop Until She Saw What Toddler Was Holding
After Ashley shared the clip, many TikTok users joined in to wish James a happy birthday.
The video garnered nearly 2,000 comments. One TikTok user wrote, “he’s our TikTok nephew now.”
Some of the people who watched the video even offered to buy birthday presents for James. “Can you start James an Amazon birthday wishlist?” one person wrote. “I don’t know what state you’re in, but please tell James there’s a Grammy in South Carolina who needs to buy him a birthday present!”
Several kind strangers sent birthday gifts to the boy.
After receiving multiple comments from people who wanted to send birthday gifts to James, Ashley decided to start an Amazon wishlist. James was “so happy” to receive several gifts from people who saw the sweet video on TikTok.
“Oh my gosh!! Thank you a million times for making James and I so happy!!” Ashley wrote after receiving the birthday gifts. “You guys rock.” In another video, she added that “the internet family has been so awesome!”
The mom cried as she spoke about how much the kindness from strangers meant.
“I wanted to say that as a single mom who wishes for a family, it means a lot to me that TikTok gathered together to wish my baby boy a happy birthday,” the mom said on TikTok, getting emotional. She added that it was extremely “inspiring” and left her feeling “over the moon” and “floored.”
“I never thought I’d come on this app and cry,” she concluded.
