Working mom Lauren Pontiff went running for tissues after watching her baby take her first steps on a daycare livestream.
Pontiff wasn’t crying out of sadness for missing 12-month-old Lilly Kate’s milestone; they were happy tears.
“Of course, it kills me that I wasn’t there to witness the moment in person, but seeing how big a cheerleader my daughter had in my absence… I can’t describe how much comfort that brought me,” Pontiff, 28, tells TODAY.com. “I was emotional because of Shikira’s reaction.”
Shikira Short is Lilly Kate’s nursery teacher.
In the clip, Lilly Kate, who has been holding on to a table, lets go and begins to put one one tiny foot in front of the other with careful determination. Each wobble is met with applause from Short. After Pontiff shared the joyful footage to TikTok, it went viral with nearly 5 million views.
Once Lilly Kate reaches Short, who is waiting for her with a huge smile and outstretched arms, she’s scooped up and smothered with celebratory hugs. Short’s excitement is palpable. It’s as if Lilly Kate is her own child.
Pontiff works at the same Louisiana daycare as Short, but she is on the administrative side.
“I feel like we only hear negative stories about daycares. You rarely hear about the good things — and there are so many good things,” Pontiff says.
“Imagine leaving for work knowing this is the type of love your kid is getting,” one person wrote in the comments.
Added another, “As a director of a daycare, I can assure you we love them just as much as you, mama!”
Pontiff says teachers like Short have helped her to let go of her working mom guilt.
“If I have to miss milestones — and it’s going to happen again —it makes me feel good to know that Shikira is there to freak the heck out on my behalf,” Pontiff explains.
In nearly half of two-parent families, both adults work full-time, according to Pew Research Center. That means childcare is essential.
Dr. Michael Mintz, associate director of the Child Development Program at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., says it’s time to let go of the guilt.
