Leaving your kids at home while you head out on an extended business trip is one of those heart-tugging moments no parent enjoys. Which is why my heart simply swelled after seeing the sweet note 10-year-old Tate Dauter left her dad Mark before he recently took a trip to New York for work.
But I’m not the only one — the goodbye note, which was scribbled on a crumpled up Post-It and stuck to one of her beloved stuffed toys, a Dumbo Tsum Tsum, has had the Internet all sorts of emotional this week.
It reads:
“Dear Daddy, You can use Dumbo. I love you, Good morning, Good night, Sweet dreams, I love you to the moon and back. Also get me a suvaneir! Love, Tatertot”
Um, first of all, can we discuss how freaking CUTE that nickname is? Tatertot! Love.
As Mark tells Babble, Tate knows when he is traveling and described her as an “avid texter” who “sends notes from her iPhone each night before bed.” Still, parting ways each time another trip comes up is never easy.
Since Mark first posted a photo of the note on Reddit a day ago, the image has gone super viral, receiving more than 66.8K upvotes and 1,761 comments. And it’s no surprise why.
Mark tells Babble that when he first discovered the Dumbo Tsum Tsum and note, he was “touched with tears.” Who wouldn’t be? And fear not — Mark followed through with his daughter’s request, getting her an I “Heart” NY stuffed bear and some candy.
Everyone wins!