The heart-melting moment when a 2-year-old boy sprints toward his grandfather in a burst of joy has gone viral.
“They are the best of friends,” the little boy’s mother, 34-year-old Jamie Stransky, told The Epoch Times. “They both get excited to see each other.”
On May 24, Ms. Stransky and her family were enjoying a warm evening in their neighborhood in Lakewood, Colorado, with children playing and the neighbors chatting.
Ms. Stransky’s 5-year-old twins, Colton and Cooper, along with her 2-year-old son, Walker, were playing on the grass when Walker suddenly saw his grandfather, Neil Duggan, down the street. He stopped his bike and with his helmet still on his head, he ran as fast as he could into his beloved grandpa’s arms.
As Walker’s tiny feet hit the pavement, Mr. Duggan yelled, “Buddy!” At the end of Walker’s sprint, Mr. Duggan got on his knees, gave him a heartfelt embrace, and said something along the lines of: “I’ve missed you.”
“I was not expecting this by any means because that is just our every day,“ she said. ”That’s just a normal moment in our world.”
The vast majority of netizens’ comments were positive, many of whom reminisced about their own special memories with their grandparents, while many other comments were humorous.
‘They Love Each Other Dearly’
This special moment in May wasn’t the first time the little boy has showered his grandfather with love.Despite being just 2, Walker has already forged a strong bond with Mr. Duggan.
“They love each other dearly,“ Ms. Stransky said. ”They have a very good relationship, and Walker runs to my Dad constantly.”
The adoring grandfather—who owns Shamrock Sales, a small company that sells water heaters and boiler equipment—dotes on his five grandchildren. He also has a tradition of dropping off donuts and spending time with them every week.
Mr. Duggan enjoys going to T-ball games, playing with Nerf guns with the boys, and watching them wrestle.
He and his wife—a retired teacher—raised two daughters, and each of their daughters gave birth to sons.
“So now, he has five grandsons and no granddaughters, so it’s kind of fun that he gets to do the boy thing,” Ms. Stransky said.
Living Close to Family
Ms. Stransky and her family have lived close to her parents’ house since she gave birth to her twin sons. In 2019, the Stransky family moved even closer to them. Four years later, they moved just a block away.A former middle school language arts teacher, Ms. Stransky enjoys living close to her mom and dad. Her and her sister’s families meet up for weekly dinners at her parents’ house.
“We see each other a lot, and none of us have any plans of going anywhere,” Ms. Stransky said. “They’re wonderful hands-on grandparents, and they have the kids over for sleepovers, and they take them places, and so they see him often, so they just have a really good relationship.”
Ms. Stransky is very grateful for the support of her family.
“They say it takes a village to raise children. And you know, our neighborhood and my parents are in our neighborhood, that is the village,” she said.
