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By Daniella Gray
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A newly postpartum mom in need of some company texted her dad for reinforcements—what happened next left the internet in tears.
During one of the first days her husband was out of the house for work, Shelby Olive (@shelbyolive) from Ohio was feeling lonely and “cooped up” with her newborn baby.
So she texted the one person who has always shown up without hesitation: her dad 57-year-old Shawn Denton.
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In her message to him, she asked if he could keep her and her daughter company “for an hour or so.” Ten minutes later, Shawn was at her door.
Shelby, 30, told Newsweek about how lonely those early weeks can feel. “I think anyone who has gone through pregnancy and postpartum can relate to feeling lonely in the newborn trenches,” she said. "The first few weeks of being a mom have been so so beautiful and cozy, but at times it’s isolating being cooped up in the same four walls all day."
And she’s certainly not alone. A 2025 report by Motherly—the 2025 State of Motherhood Survey—found that 70 percent of mothers say motherhood is “lonelier than they imagined.”
Having been alone with her baby all day, Shelby explained that she found herself “slipping into anxious thoughts.” Thanks to continuous therapy, the new mom knew that some connection was just what she needed.
Her parents have always operated with that instinct, she said—dropping everything when she or her brother needed them. Seeing her dad standing there so quickly “made me feel so seen and cared for.”
When she told her dad that she had posted their text messages on TikTok, Shawn couldn’t understand why people found his response so remarkable.
“He was even more surprised when the video went viral saying, ‘Well of course I was going to come over, that’s what any parent would do when your kid says they’re lonely!’ That’s just the kind of parents they are,” Shelby said.
Her post has gone viral on TikTok, amassing 1.6 million views. In the 700 comments, users were moved by the grandfather’s gesture.
“The way he must have felt so honored you reached out. This is so pure,” one user wrote.
“You’re still his baby, even though you have your own baby! Absolutely precious,” another commented.
Once inside, the father and daughter, who both work in elementary schools, talked about Shawn's day, music and the baby.
He gave Shelby a break, feeding his granddaughter, burping her and changing diapers.
“He made sure both baby and I were taken care of,” Shelby said. “It might sound mundane and simple, but that simple gesture of his really helped calm me and my worries in that moment. Even though I’m 30, I’ll always need my dad.”
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