A Mom Didn’t Have Anything To Pass Down To Her Baby — Until Her Best Friend Stepped In
“You are my family and there is no one I would rather see these go to than my new little niece.”
A well-loved teddy bear, a slightly tattered blankie — some of our most loved childhood possessions are passed down from our parents, and even grandparents. Many of us dream of passing these things down to our own kids some day, but for one mom, this tradition didn’t seem like it was in the cards — that is, until her best friend stepped up with a touching gesture that might make you tear up a bit.
Mom-to-be Felicia Roskam shared on TikTok that because she was adopted, she didn’t have family heirlooms to pass down to her new baby. But thankfully, her best friend and “soul sister,” affectionately titled Auntie Tay, had the absolute sweetest baby shower gift: items from her own childhood, passed down to Felicia’s child.
Felicia shared Tay’s letter that came along with the heartfelt gift on TikTok.
“When you found out you were pregnant, I remember you telling me how bummed you were that you didn’t have anything from when you were little,” Tay wrote. “I know this will never replace that, but the items below were mine. Some passed down multiple generations.”
“I know we say we are sisters all the time but I want you to know that I hold that in the highest regard. You are my family and there is no one I would rather see these go to than my new little niece.”
I’m not crying, you’re crying.
Among the items was a handmade crochet blanket gifted to Tay’s grandmother when her uncle was born in 1982, and a blanket her great grandmother gave to her grandmother her aunt was born in 1969.
Tay also shared her cousin’s favorite books from her grandma, and a pumpkin picture book that sparked her love for Halloween.
She also included plenty of her own clothes and favorite stuffed animals from her childhood, including a fuzzy Webkinz elephant (Millennials know just how meaningful giving up a Webkinz can be).
Tay’s kind gesture absolutely pulled on all of our heartstrings, but in the comments, adoptees and adoptive parents were particularly touched.
“As a mom who adopted I think about these things for my son. And he is only 2 😭 I worry he will be sad about these things,” said Alex.
“As someone also adopted who has a big ol hole in their heart not having my own history — I’m WEEPING,” commented Ashley Holland. “It’s so painful. This is so beautiful.”
While adoption can be a beautiful thing, it can also result in great loss — of family connections, history, and of little moments that many of us take for granted, like passing down a jumper to our first born, making Tay’s gift all the more meaningful.
May we all be so lucky to have our own Auntie Tays in ours, and our babies, lives.
