A routine workday took an emotional turn for one dad after an unexpected text message appeared on his phone—sent not by his wife, but by their young son.
Posting to Reddit’s r/daddit community, user u/harbaughthechamp55, who described himself in his bio as a “middle aged dad,” shared how his 8-year-old son had borrowed his mother’s phone to send a message while he was at work. What he wrote nearly brought him to tears.
Newsweek reached out to u/harbaughthechamp55 via direct message on Reddit.
The message read: “Daddy it is Logan I can’t wait to go on vacation because it is so much fun. I love you.”
The dad replied telling his son the upcoming trip would be “awesome.” Then came a second message from Logan—“I love you.”
At the time of writing, the post has received over 4,000 upvotes. In the comments, many parents also recognized the quiet power of those moments and quickly filled the thread with their own memories.
One parent recalled being woken in the middle of the night by their toddler decades earlier. Expecting something was wrong, they instead heard a simple declaration: “I just wanted to tell you I love you.” Now, with that child grown and 25 years old, the commenter said it remains one of the best moments of their life.
“These are the days my friend,” another wrote. “There’s nothing better than these moments.”
Others focused on the exchange itself, joking about the importance of saying it back. One commenter pleaded to know that the dad had immediately replied, “I love you too, Logan,” adding they couldn’t imagine receiving those words twice without responding.
The original poster (OP) quickly reassured them. Of course he had replied, he said—though the rest of the conversation quickly descended into a stream of emojis and playful messages that didn’t quite fit into a screenshot-friendly format.
More parents chimed in with snapshots of joy that feel ordinary in the moment but unforgettable in hindsight.
One dad shared how he had taken his 6-year-old daughter to a trampoline park, out to lunch, and then to the library—her favorite place. At the end of the day, she ran up to him and declared it “the best day ever,” a memory he said he would never forget.
The post became less about the text message itself and more about a shared understanding among parents: these fleeting expressions of love are the emotional landmarks of raising children.
“Print that sucker out and frame it,” one user urged.