Parents were singing happy birthday to their late son — until their toddler made a wish that stopped them in their tracks

Dealing with the loss of a child can be really difficult for the parents. The siblings might feel the grief in great measure, too. A four-year-old's one sentence made his parents and people on the internet think about what grief feels like for a child. The parents were celebrating what would have been their late youngest son's third birthday with their son, James Barrett "Bear." When asked to make a wish, Bear's one sentence made the parents, Wes and Presley Kloac, stop in their tracks. Presley shared the moment on TikTok, where she goes by @presleykloac. The brief clip received over 3.2 million views.

Every year, on their late son, Bowen Rhodes or Bo's birthday, the family records themselves singing "Happy Birthday" to "their youngest son in heaven." The text overlay of the video read, "This year, I caught one of those bittersweet moments that just stops you in your tracks for a second." The parents and Bear were sitting around a table with a cake that had a number three candle as they sang. Wes asked Bear to make a wish. "I don't remember what I wish for," the little boy remarked. "Oh, that's okay," his mom reassured him. But then he seemed to remember his wish and it made his parents look at each other with a wistful expression.

"I wish that Bo would be down here forever," Bear expressed. "Grief is so hard. For parents and for siblings," Presley wrote. "A raw, unfiltered glimpse into what child loss and sibling grief can look like. Some days, we wonder if we're doing it 'right,' finding that perfect balance between keeping our boy's memory alive and protecting our oldest's joy," the caption went on. "If you're walking this same walk alongside us, know that I see you. I understand you. I'm supporting you from afar." The parents were glad that their son loved and remembered his brother, but it also hurt them to see him in pain, per Newsweek.

"We are so happy that Bear knows and loves and remembers his little brother…but it also causes great grief and sadness knowing that we aren't able to bring him back. There is such great sadness in seeing your child hurt and experiencing pain and knowing that there is nothing that you are able to do to fix it for them or make it better," Presley told the outlet. Bo died a couple of hours after his birth due to a bladder outlet obstruction that he was diagnosed with inside the uterus. It is a rare and fatal condition that blocks urination and leads to organ damage. Presley shared that the yearly ritual was to celebrate her son's birth and not to mark his death, per the outlet.

Many people shared their own grief and tried to console the family in the comments section of the video. @k_bearrrrr wrote, "My papa is up there teaching him all about race cars and football. He also loved getting donuts and making extra fudge brownies." @ncfunfoodfamily commented, "My youngest asked the other day if we could dig up her older brother so she could hold him and get a picture with him (he was stillborn before she was born). Sibling grief is so incredibly hard, especially as a parent who is also grieving. Thinking of you and praying for you as you guide him through his grief." @chyennea.miller remarked, "This brought me to tears instantly. It's only been a few months since we lost our daughter and my son will say things like I miss baby sister or baby sister is in heaven and it just breaks my heart all over again."

You can follow Presley Kloac (@presleykloac) on TikTok for more lifestyle content.

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