Dad received a surprise text from his wife’s phone while at work — his 8-year-old son's message brought him to tears
A dad who listens can be just as powerful as the one who provides. On a work day at the office, a Reddit user who goes by the username u/harbaughthechamp55 received a text from his wife's phone. Turns out, it was a message typed by their 8-year-old son, who had borrowed his mother's phone to write an adorable note. However, reading the next text from his son brought the dad to tears. Reported by Newsweek on January 5, 2026, the man's post united dads across the internet.
The man, in the now-deleted post shared on December 31, 2025, described himself as a "middle-aged dad." He was at work when he received an unexpected text from his wife's phone. When he checked the phone, he realized it was a message typed by their 8-year-old son, who had borrowed the phone from his mother. He had texted, "Daddy, it is Logan. I can't wait to go on vacation because it is so much fun. I love you." The dad instantly replied to the text saying, "Awesome." But the next message from his son melted his heart. It read, "I love you." The dad, who could not contain his happiness, shared the adorable exchange online and captioned it, "My 8-year-old texted me from my wife's phone this morning while I was at work. Man, I swear I almost cried a little!"
A 2024 study authored by Eddie Brummelman et al. examined the importance of reciprocal emotional conversations among parents and children. Researchers studied 218 children between the ages of 8 and 13. The findings revealed that when parents and children engaged in reciprocal self-disclosure, children reported feeling more loved than during ordinary small talk. If the child is able to express his feelings to his dad, it speaks volumes about how expressing love for one another is common in their family. This display of reciprocal self-disclosure helps in building emotional depth in the parent-child relationship.
Soon after the post gained views, many dads across the internet chimed in to share their stories. u/pvp_123 recounted, "When our now 25-year-old was two, she woke me up in the middle of the night. Of course, I assumed something was wrong, but she simply said, 'I just wanted to tell you I love you.' All these years later, it’s still one of the best moments of my life." u/MYoung3224 mentioned, "I took my 6-year-old to a trampoline park, after lunch out and the library (she loves), and she came running up to me and said, 'Thank you so much, Dad! This is the best day ever!' I won’t forget that…" u/AdorableLocation4066 commented, "Two daughters and one son, and they put me on cloud nine when they tell me they love me before I go to work. Being a dad has been the best experience of my life."