A 57-year-old man from the suburbs of Atlanta has made a lot of people emotional with his private Instagram post he shared about his three sons.
Brandt Barber has now become a father figure to some of his new followers, who’ve shared their strained or vacant relationships with their fathers.
In late August, Brandt posted pictures of himself and his sons at a local Dairy Queen in Forsyth County, Georgia. He told BuzzFeed News that they following a ritual over about seven years. They would go to the same DQ, sit in the same booth, order the same things, and oftentimes, see the same wait staff.
When his sons completed their college, he became sentimental and nostalgic. So he posted the photos he took over the years to his Instagram account, which had 3 other photos and was followed by 23 people at the time, he said.
“It was just someplace I could put a picture of a memory that meant something to me,” Brandt added.
He first shared photos of all his kids, including his twin 19-year-old sons Bryce and Luke. They all were sitting together at their usual Dairy Queen spot. The next photo then excluded Brooks, when he went off to attend the University of Georgia a few years ago.
“And then there were 3,” Brandt wrote. “DQ tradition continued but our numbers while strong were dwindling.”
Recently, his younger sons also left for college. Brandt posted one final photo of just himself. “And then there was 1,” he captioned. He wrote the tradition was never about ordering Blizzards, but the time spent “talking” and bonding together.
“Over time the most valuable part of it was [spending] time with the boys,” Brandt said. “I’m talking to them, they’re talking to me, we’re listening to their music, they’re talking about girlfriends…just life. It gave us time for that, which was awesome.”
He thought he’d share this special time with his close friends and followers on social media. That is, until Brooks saw it. He became so emotional, and then shared screenshots of his dad’s Instagram to his public Twitter.
“Why did my dad have to go this hard on Instagram and why am I crying in Nashville rn,” he wrote. The tweet has been retweeted over 165,000 times thus far.
Many strangers expressed the same reaction. “I just wanted to say thank you for making me cry this early in the morning,” one person wrote in response.
Some people joked for him to drop out of school so he can continue the ritual with his dad.
Many people praised and wished they grew up with a dad like his and traditions like theirs.
Brooks told BuzzFeed News that he’s shocked by how viral it became. He said, that the response he received has given him a new appreciation for his father. “It made me love my dad even more,” he said.
He said he’s received DMs from strangers with messages like “My dad wasn’t very nice” or “I didn’t have a dad.” He’s trying to use this opportunity to respond to as many of those messages as he can to be “encouraging.”
“I’ve looked at this as, OK, how can I be responsible in communicating back with some of these folks and be encouraging and uplifting to them,” he said.
Brandt said he’s tried to assure those he has talked to that they can grow to be the parents they were deprived of.
“You have a chance with your young son to change how it was, and honestly, I did,” said Brandt. “Don’t let your circumstances define you. You find your happiness.”
Recommended Video
“Adorable Toddler Scolds Her Dad For Leaving The Toilet Seat Up”
[rumble video_id=vdmul domain_id=u7nb2]