Mom Checks Daughter Gets Into Kindergarten OK—Unprepared for What She Sees

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Daniella Gray is a Newsweek Family & Parenting Reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on family dynamics, childhood development, parenting styles, U.S. education and current trends in family and parenting practices. She has covered breaking and original news on topics such as family relationships, national education schemes and parenting hacks, while securing exclusives with high-profile celebrity moms, including Ayda Field-Williams and Ella Mills. Daniella joined Newsweek in May 2024 and had previously worked at parenting website goodto.com. She holds a Print Journalism BA Hons Degree and an NCTJ Diploma in Journalism from Nottingham Trent University. You can get in touch with Daniella by emailing d.gray@newsweek.com.

Daniella Gray

Family and Parenting Reporter

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A California mom who stopped to make sure her 5-year-old daughter got into kindergarten safely captured something she will remember forever.

Jazmin Lopez (@mommajaztwo) posted a clip on TikTok showing her 11-year-old son, Ian, walking his baby sister, Lia, to her classroom on her very first day of school, melting hearts across the internet.

“It’s … Lia’s first time ever in school,” Lopez, 31, told Newsweek. “Ian [was] walking her to class and making sure she felt a little less anxious about this new beginning.”

Lopez said that she had started taking walks near the school in the hopes she might see her children together.

“To my luck, I actually did catch this moment on the first day of school,” she said. “It melted my mommy heart and made me very proud of my kids, especially my older son.”

Lia’s transition to kindergarten was not guaranteed to be smooth. As a “COVID baby,” she had been home with her family for her early years, and attempts to prepare her through a short-term day care program just months prior hadn’t gone well.

“She didn’t like going and cried every morning at drop off,” Lopez said. “Because we had a difficult time with her day-care program, we thought kindergarten was going to be the same.”

Instead, the presence of her big brother made all the difference. “Having her brother be by her side was a sort of relief for her,” Lopez said. “She feels protected and not alone.”

Ian, whom Lopez described as “an amazing big brother and kid overall,” is not only protective but also outgoing, athletic and family-oriented.

Lopez said how she and her husband Salvador Fernandez, 37, talk about how it’ is their two children against the world.

“Seeing him be so protective and caring toward his sister just reassured us that we are doing a good job and raising kind human beings,” Lopez said.

The heartwarming clip has gone viral on TikTok, amassing more than 2.9 million views and over 588,000 likes.

Hundreds of users commented on the clip who were impressed by the preteen looking out for his little sister.

“She’s gonna be protected ALL her life. they’re not just her brother’s friends, they’re ALL her brothers!” one user wrote.

“And his little arm around her. Good job Mama!” another added.

The video’s popularity came as a surprise to Lopez, who said she uses TikTok like a memory book.

“I … always upload small videos of my kids, not thinking anything of it and just for myself and the memories,” she added. “When I saw the amount of love this video got, it was unbelievable!

“In a world full of chaos, I am very thankful that my small, heartfelt video was able to give so many people a smile, even for just a couple of seconds.”

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