10
Loading video...
By Jack Beresford
Senior Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
A concerned father living 350 miles away from his adult daughter knew exactly what to do after she "sounded down" during a phone call.
Most Americans prefer to live close to family. In 2022, a Pew Research Center survey found 55 percent of 9,676 U.S. adults say they live within an hour's drive of at least some extended family members.
Coy Collins lives in Lewiston, Idaho, and while his adult daughter might be six hours away in Gig Harbor, Washington, he has never let that distance stop him from being there for her when she needs him.
Read More on Family & Parenting
Proof of that came in a video Collins shared to TikTok, filmed by his son-in-law, showing how he sprang the most heartwarming of surprises on his adult daughter when she came home from work.
"I called her two nights before, and she sounded down," Collins told Newsweek. "I asked what was wrong, and she said she missed her family."
In that situation, Collins did the only thing he could think to do as her father. "So I drove from Lewiston to Gig Harbor, Washington. She was very happy to see me as you can see in the video."
Collins let his son-in-law know ahead of time that he was coming so he was able to capture the moment on camera.
In the clip, Collins can be seen standing in the back of his daughter's kitchen as she arrives home. She doesn't spot him there at first, but when she does, her reaction is one of shock, followed by some understandable tears.
The clip ends with father and daughter enjoying the warmest of embraces. "Just that she really needed that hug. She was missing home, and that one little gesture was everything to her," Collins said.
Collins added that he ended up staying the night and sharing a special day with his daughter. "I stayed there, and she and I went out shopping the next day and spent a great day together," he said.
Though he ended up totting up 12 hours of driving door to door, Collins has no regrets about making the trip to see his daughter. "I haven't done this before, but I would do it again in a heartbeat for any of my kids," he said.
...
Collins ended up posting his video to TikTok under the handle @coyrcollins. It has already been watched more than 9.5 million times. It prompted other users to share similar stories of dads going above and beyond for their kids, even in adulthood.
"My daddy drove a 8 hour trip in 6 hours from a doctors appointment with no extra clothes to spend the night in when I went into emergency surgery. It will forever mean the world to me," one viewer wrote.
"My dad drove from West Virginia to Michigan when I was 8 months pregnant just to check on me. Slept in my driveway because he didn't want to wake me at night. I miss him," another posted.
Collins believes the footage of his visit has had an impact in other ways, too. "I think the video already has inspired more men to be present in their kids' lives no matter what the age," he said.
He might not live close to his daughter, but Collins is always present with her, no matter how far apart they may be.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines