There are two types of people in the world: those who love chatting with strangers on flights, and those who wish they could ignore everyone and arrive at their destination already. Then there are people like this amazing woman who came to the aid of a young boy when she noticed he was traveling on a plane all by himself.
While TikTok was once known for its fun dance videos, nowadays we hear some pretty wild stories on the platform, like that unsettling Uber driver. We also keep our eyes and ears open for heartwarming tales, and the best one yet comes from TikTok user @mari_lynn_.
Mari Lynn shared a video in which she took a plane ride sitting next to a six-year-old boy traveling by himself. Since she had no idea who this kid’s mom was, Mari Lynn took to TikTok with an update for the boy’s mom should the soon-to-be-viral video reach her.
This total hero of a woman told the boy’s mom “I want you to know he’s protected” and wrote in the caption, “I don’t believe in coincidence” and added, “As soon as I was given the opportunity to sit wirh [sic] this little man, I said yes without hesitation.”
Mari Lynn posted a follow-up video sharing a bit more about this adorable yet mysterious story. While we don’t know where the boy and the woman were flying, Mari Lynn explained that he was going to visit his Uncle Bob (doesn’t everyone have an Uncle Bob?!) and grandma. She said it was a long journey, as it was “across the country.”
Every once in a while, we hear a nice story about the kindness of strangers and that’s exactly what this one is. In both TikTok videos, Mari Lynn said she took responsibility for the kid and ensured he got to his family safe and sound. Once again, it sounds like she hoped his mom would see her two videos. She wrote in the caption of her second video “I hope his mama knows he’s safe and with another mama bear.”
Of course, we’re all dying to know: did the woman find the boy’s mom?! When TikTok user shelbypei commented “We need an update,” Mari Lynn responded only with, “I wish I had one” and a crying face emoji.
While there’s no question this woman did the right thing, of course, the comment section is also filled with people sounding the alarm about a six-year-old boy flying by himself. Others shared their own feel-good stories about taking trips by themselves when they were kids.
TikTok user @megandmickey57 wrote, “My sister and I traveled across the country by ourselves at 10 and 12. we were grouped with other kids flying alone and there were multiple adults that made sure we got where we had to go.” TikTok user @BabyBelle shared that their child took a flight when they were 11 and got a first-class seat (we’re jealous).
We’re going to keep hoping that this amazing woman finds the boy’s mom (or, at minimum, the videos find their way to her), but until then, we’ll keep looking for wild travel stories like these. If there’s anything we love more than getting the chance to take a trip ourselves, it’s hearing about the memorable things people encounter when leaving home.