A child’s heartwarming reaction to his dad’s birthday celebration brings tears because he’s so proud. Making memories with your family is a lifetime goal. Capturing the beauty, joy, good times, and not-so-good times is what bonds a family. Some moments capture the beauty of pure love, and that’s exactly what happened when Haley Shield’s young son Tennyson had such strong emotions during his daddy’s birthday dinner. 

The family decided to go out for dinner and celebrate good old Dad and the restaurant joined in on the celebration by singing Dad a happy birthday song. But it was Tennyson’s reaction that stole the show and made the moment all that more memorable. 

Tennyson kept shouting, “Happy Birthday, Daddy!” as he snuggled and hugged his dad. But moments later, tears were streaming down his little cheeks. At first, his dad thought maybe all the noise had scared him, but his mother, Haley, didn’t seem to think that was the case. And then she realized why her son was crying. Tennyson wasn’t crying tears of sadness or because he was scared. The joy he felt for his father was so overwhelming he couldn’t help but cry a few happy tears because, to Tennyson, his daddy is a hero. 

The now-viral clip, which gained over 23 million views, was captioned, “When your daddy is a hero and it’s his birthday, and you can’t hide your love for him.” No one could get enough of this special moment. One viewer commented, “He was so proud of all these strangers celebrating his favorite person, as well as overwhelmed with emotions. Best thing I’ve seen all morning!” Another added, “His little heart was so filled with love and happiness he didn't know how to express it so it came out in tears!”

Tennyson’s dad must be truly a special guy. His son thinks he hung the moon, and he is just so proud of his daddy. I bet this was one of the most special birthday gifts he received, a heartwarming moment of pure, unfiltered love from his little boy. Haley’s tender video is a reminder of the simple yet powerful bonds dads have with their children and it’s touched millions of people around the world. 

Psalm 103:13 "As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him."