A well-loved teddy bear, a slightly tattered blanket – some of our favorite childhood items are passed down from our parents and even our grandparents. Many of us dream of one day passing these things down to our own children, but for one mom, the tradition didn’t seem to exist — until her best friend stepped up and made a touching move, which might make you tear up a little.
Mom-to-be Felicia Roskam shared on TikTok that because she was adopted, she has no family heirlooms to pass down to her new baby. But thankfully, her best friend and “soul sister,” affectionately known as Auntie Tae, had the absolute sweetest baby shower gift: items from her own childhood that were passed down to Felicia’s child.
Felicia shared Ty’s letter and the heartfelt gift on TikTok.
“When you found out you were pregnant, I remember you telling me how frustrated you were because you didn’t have anything as a kid,” Tai wrote. “I know this will never replace that, but the items below are mine. Some have been passed down for generations.
“I know we keep saying we’re sisters, but I want you to know I have the highest respect. You are my family, and no one wants to see that more than my new little niece.
I didn’t cry, you did.
They include a hand-crocheted blanket that Ty’s grandmother gave her when her uncle was born in 1982, and a blanket that her great-grandmother gave to her grandmother when her aunt was born in 1969.
Tay also shared her cousin’s favorite book written by her grandma, as well as a pumpkin picture book that inspired her love of Halloween.
She also packed in a lot of her own clothes and her favorite stuffed animals from childhood, including a fluffy Webkinz elephant (millennials know how meaningful it is to give up Webkinz).
Ty’s act of kindness definitely tugged at the heartstrings of all of us, but adoptees and adoptive parents were especially touched in the comments.
“As an adoptive mom, I think about these things for my son. He’s only 2 years old, and I worry that he will feel sad about these things,” Alex said.
“As an adopted person with a gaping hole in my heart and no history of my own – I’m crying,” Ashley Holland commented. “It’s so painful. It’s so beautiful.
While adoption can be a beautiful thing, it can also result in tremendous losses—family relationships, history, and the little moments that many of us take for granted, like passing a sweater down to our eldest son, which made Tay Gifts are more precious and meaningful.
May we all be lucky enough to have our own Aunt Tess in our lives and the lives of our children.
