Parents’ Tradition Night Before Daughter’s Birthday Has Internet Sobbing

The internet has been left in tears after watching a touching video of first-time parents start a tradition ahead of their baby’s first birthday.

The footage shows Maude Carrier-Pion and her husband sitting at a candle-lit table, each with a piece of paper and pen. They can be seen sipping wine, kissing and crying.

The text layered over the clip explains: “For the first year of our daughter we decided to start a tradition. We’ll write a letter to her every year the night before her birthday. When she’s older, she’ll read our favourite moments with her.”

At the time of writing, the emotional TikTok video (@maudecpion) has amassed 5.9 million views and 1.1 million likes, along with many comments, some of which are from parents or children who have the same tradition.

One user said: “My dad did this for me. I got them all on my 21st it was so incredibly amazing. My most treasured item.”

“I send them to an email address with photos and videos from the year,” wrote another.

A third commenter said: “Ahhh can’t wait to start these beautiful traditions with my own family! She’s going to love this.”

“This is so precious. What an incredible tradition that will mean so much to your daughter,” said a fourth user.

According to a group of researchers from Syracuse University in New York, family routines and rituals are important to the health and well-being. Published in the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Journal of Family Psychology, the 50-year research review highlights how the repetitive nature can strengthen the family bond, among other benefits.

While Carrier-Pion’s daughter won’t be a part of the tradition until she is old enough to read, there’s still many others she can be a part of. The researchers found that the most common routines identified were dinnertime, along with bedtime, chores and everyday activities such as talking on the phone or visiting with relatives. The most frequently identified family rituals were birthdays, Christmas, family reunions, Thanksgiving, Easter and Sunday activities including the “Sunday dinner.”

The research states that families eating a meal together can lead to better parenting, healthier children and improved academic performance.

However, when children become adults, they don’t always want to keep traditions.

Newsweek previously shared an article about one man who broke his family’s baby name tradition.

In a lengthy Reddit post, he wrote: “I told them the tradition as far as my side of the family is concerned has ended.”

While this couple’s baby won’t have a say in their tradition, it can sometimes turn sour.

Newsweek reached out to @maudecpion for comment via email. We could not verify the details of the case.

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