When I was a kid, my dad was deployed more times than I could count. While we corresponded through drawings, letters and video greetings taped on VHS and sent back and forth between him and my mom, it was rare to be able to speak to him without help and costly USPS shipping fees sure to break any kid’s modest piggy bank.
Being that it’s 2020, however, military families have access to any number of communications methods that eliminate the need for snail mail. But that doesn’t mean it makes missing a parent any easier.
For a few kids, whose identities are unknown, a doorbell became a lifeline to their deployed dad.
The video, which was first shared by user @travisakers, appears to show three children with a “Ring” video doorbell at their house, who stop by the front porch to ring the bell and record well-wishes for their father and update him on the simple goings-on in their lives. Evidently, through the use of the system, he can access the recordings from wherever he is deployed.
One of the boys shares that he wishes his dad will come home, and waves as he steps off the porch saying, “Bye daddy, I’m going to school to learn a lot.”
The other excitedly updates his dad about how he has learned to ride a bike without training wheels, shouting, “Alls I need for help is to push, and then I’m all going by myself!”
Most heart wrenching, is perhaps the little girl, who leaves multiple messages wishing her dad would come back soon.
“Dada, I love you so much. Please, come home soon. I love you,” she says.
And military Twitter felt all the feels about the video, especially with the impending holiday season.
Sarah Sicard is a Senior Editor with Military Times. She previously served as the Digitial Editor of Military Times and the Army Times Editor. Other work can be found at National Defense Magazine, Task & Purpose, and Defense News.
