Grandpa Tugs At Heartstrings By Serenading Grandson With Down Syndrome At Birthday Party

Aug 11, 2022 by apost team

The bond between children and their grandparents is one unlike any other. This is the case with little Joseph, whose stepgrandfather serenaded him with a rendition of the Louis Armstrong classic “What A Wonderful World.” Making this moment even sweeter is the fact that Joseph has Down syndrome.

In a video posted by Meghan Gonoude on TikTok and YouTube on April 8, 2022, a little boy was seen perched on his grandpa’s lap during a backyard get-together on a beautiful, sunny day. It appeared a karaoke machine was also available for the event. Microphone in hand, the grandfather crooned the lyrics of the uplifting song. Mesmerized, the young boy could scarcely take his eyes off his beloved grandpa, following his gaze every time he lifted his finger to the sky.

Behind them, a tent full of people was also entranced by the performance, with some standing to take videos of the touching moment. A banner inside the tent read: “Happy Birthday Joseph Lorenzo” alongside plenty of colorful balloons.

Little Joseph, his face made up to look like a tiger with face paint, looked enthralled by his grandfather’s singing. He adorably laid his head on grandpa’s chest a few times as the old-timer continued to sing bar after bar of the song. With eyes wide open and mouth agape, it’s clear there was nowhere else he would have rather been. At one point, the grandfather put his hand out for a handshake, and Joseph took it, letting out a little giggle.

The video has since gone viral, racking up more than 614,000 likes and 22,000 comments on TikTok. The video was captioned: “We love Brad! Brad is Joseph’s grandpa. Uncle Dave is Joseph’s bonus grandpa! Joseph is surrounded by so much love!! #downsyndrome #downsyndromeawareness #worlddownsyndromeday #whatawonderfulworld.”

Viewers raved in the comments about the tender moment, saying how much more “wonderful” the world is with this video around.

“Love like this makes the world wonderful!!!” one user wrote. “WoW what an old song sung very beautifully, then I wish that all children grow up in a wonderful world,” another commented. “Watched this again... and it just makes me realize it can be a wonderful world.”

“Well that kinda hits the feels! Such a pure moment!” 

“Anyone who’s ever asked ‘what does love look like’ needn’t look any further,” one viewer wrote. 

The song choice also appeared to be a good one, with many commenting about their relationship with the song.

“So sweet, so beautiful!! I danced with my father at my wedding to this,” one user commented. “I’m sobbing watching this, so so beautiful. Also my mother’s favorite song,” another viewer said.

Others were taken by the young child’s gesture of putting his head on his grandpa’s chest.

“So touching when that child lays his head on his grandfather's chest – love. Can’t beat that moment,” a viewer wrote. “Omg so heartwarming brought tears to my eyes beautiful precious moment joseph is absolutely gorgeous the little head down made me melt xx,” another user said.

Meanwhile, Gonoude clarified in the comments that while the man singing is not Joseph’s biological grandfather, they share an unbreakable bond all the same.

“The man singing to Joseph is his bonus grandpa. He’s married to Joseph’s grandma. The man in the green shirt is Joseph’s grandpa,” she wrote.

Bonus grandpa or no, we should all be so lucky to have this kind of heartwarming relationship in our lives, and we wish little Joseph all the best and a happy birthday!

apost.com

Wasn’t that such a heartfelt moment? Do you have a similarly close relationship with your grandparent or grandchild? Let us know and pass this on to family and friends.