A dad who’s been in jail since his daughter was one year old surprised his daughter when he picked her up at school, and her reaction is beyond moving.
Twitter user Bob Lemon shared a viral video of his niece being greeted by her formerly incarcerated father for the first time since he was sent to prison when she was only one year old, and her reaction has viewers choking up all over the Internet.
The clip captioned, “Bro been gone since before my niece was 1, and he surprised her by picking her up from school on his first day out,” begins with footage of a smiling young girl walking towards her school’s exit.
As the little girl reaches the door, she sees her father, and her expression goes from general excitement to wide-eyed disbelief.
With her jaw dropped, she takes a few steps back in shock before dropping her backpack and pink coat and letting out an ecstatic shriek.
The little girl races over to her father and jumps in his arms, giving him a massive hug before breaking into overwhelmed sobs.
The father and daughter remain in a tight embrace while sniffles can be heard from behind the camera, capturing the emotional scene.
Their touching reunion had viewers all over the Internet reaching for a box of tissues while sparking discussions about U.S. prison systems.
“Shout out to Mom for making sure contact wasn’t lost. This is beautiful,” one person commented.
“This is the pain that this system of incarceration causes. I feel joy for the reunion, but I feel more pain for the years of separation that they both endured. It was cruel and inhumane,” observed one individual.
“Me crying cause at 28 I’m still hoping and praying for this day. Free my pops,” one daughter shared.
Even one of the little girl’s teachers commented on the thread, saying, “Thank you for posting this, [she] was one of my students when I was living [and] teaching in the South [Bronx]! I can’t stop replaying this. I wish I could give her a hug [and] witness her happiness in person! We shared many conversations and tears about the pain she carried. No more!”
The heartwarming reunion is a touching stepping stone towards their relationship and perhaps a reevaluation of the U.S. prison system at large.
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