Girl Was Sad Her Grandpas Missed School Lunch—So Her Parents Got To Work

A little girl’s sadness over her long-distance grandparents was turned into a moment of pure magic by her parents in a viral video.

The touching TikTok clip shows the little girl’s reaction as her mom and dad go “undercover” to make sure she feels loved and included at her school’s grandparents’ lunch. Since the clip was posted, it has received over 927,000 views. The girl’s mother, Mel Fernandes, 29, spoke to Newsweek about the idea and how it became a “core memory” for her little one.

“My little girl was so upset that her grandparents live out of state and couldn’t come to the grandparent lunch at school…so mom and dad went undercover. She even called us grandpa and grandma to not ‘blow our cover,'” she said.

A Military Family

Fernandes said her daughter has a special bond with her grandparents who live far away.

“Both of my parents and my husband’s dad live in New Jersey, and my husband’s mom lives in Arkansas,” she shared. “We live in Louisiana due to a military assignment—my husband is active duty—so her grandparents couldn’t attend the grandparents lunch. When Penny came home in tears with the flyer a week prior, I knew we had to show up for her.”

The Surprise of a Lifetime

Fernandes’ husband, Brian, came up with the perfect plan. The couple would disguise themselves as grandparents, complete with silver hair dye. The surprise was executed flawlessly when they arrived at the school.

“When we walked into the cafeteria, Penny was sitting with the other kids without their grandparents there,” Fernandes recalled. “She saw me and looked so confused.”

Then, Fernandes delivered the line that made the moment so special.

“I walked up to her and said, ‘Hi grandbaby, want to have lunch with your grandparents?’ And she was so giddy and jumped out of her seat,” she said.

The sweet gesture was a complete success, she added: “She even caught any slip ups if she almost called me mom…quickly switching to ‘grandma.’ She even introduced us to her friends and teacher as her grandparents.”

For Penny, the day was everything she needed. “She hugged us and said we were the best parents ever,” Fernandes shared. “It was the best thing ever.”

Advocating for Inclusivity

Beyond the heartwarming family moment, Fernandes’ story carries a deeper message about inclusivity. She feels strongly that events like this should be more accommodating for all types of families.

“As a military family, I feel these days should be ‘special people days’ instead of just ‘grandparents’ day,’ or ‘mom day,’ or whatever the theme is,” she explained. “We live in a town with a large military base, so I’m surprised it wasn’t very inclusive. Luckily, the teachers and staff were extremely accommodating and let us come regardless, but I think having a ‘special grown up’ day would be so wonderful for all the military kids, or even other children who don’t have traditional families.”

Fernandes said the family even made sure to FaceTime Penny’s real grandma during the lunch, bringing the long-distance family closer together for a moment.

This video is, while adorable, ultimately a reminder of the importance of an inclusive community that recognizes and celebrates the many different forms a family can take.