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By Maria Morava
Relationships Reporter
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A child's bond with their parents in early adulthood is special—and bittersweet.
A video on TikTok posted by Emiko (@emikopowers) went viral for capturing a sweet and heartwrenching clip of her goodbye to her father who lives across the country. His words of comfort have resonated with tens of thousands of viewers. Since the clip was posted in April, it has received more than 364,000 views and over 72,000 likes.
"When you're 24 years old and saying bye to your dad never gets easier," Emiko captioned the video. "Living across the country is sad sometimes!"
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In the clip, Emiko and her father stood hugging in a New York City subway station. As they embraced, her dad spoke to TikTok users through the camera.
"Hey everybody, we're in New York City. We just got dinner at 30 Rock, and this is my rock. I love this girl," her father said. "See you soon, huh? Call me when you get home, OK?" he added, turning his focus to his daughter. When Emiko began to cry, her dad said, "We celebrate life," as he wiped her tears.
Viewers in the comments were touched by the beautiful and raw video. Many could understand the bittersweet nature of saying goodbye to a loved one—and even the meaning those moments take on in retrospect when that loved one has passed.
"The little pit in your stomach every time you leave home or say goodbye to family visiting," @nachasenior wrote.
"I lost my dad a few weeks ago from cancer. Cherish this. I miss it so much," @chelzwick added. "This is so sweet."
"I'm crying," @turqmoon posted. "Cherish these precious moments. I lost my dad when I was 27. Thanks for sharing this moment with all of us. It's so special."
"This just made me realize how much I miss my long-distance dad, so I texted him 'I miss you dad' and shed a tear," @thuggerrgirl commented.
Some felt a different kind of loss when watching the video, though—the loss of never having this type of fatherly love in the first place.
"The grief I feel because I just wanted this so much growing up and in my adult life," @thehippym0m wrote. "You are so blessed."
Emiko's clip pointed viewers to the love and heartbreak of long-distance family dynamics as a new adult. And despite the strong emotions it may stir, many are taking Emiko's father's words of wisdom to heart, keeping both the beauty and the sadness close.
"This is so beautiful and heartbreaking," @alexandracolleen wrote. "To know a love like this is so special and so heavy."
Newsweek reached out to @emikopowers for comment via TikTok.
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