Mom Can't Explain Exchange Between 10-Year-Old And 18-Month-Old Sons Caught On Baby Monitor

Feb 19, 2021 by apost team

Gloria McIntosh is a 36-year-old mother of six from Ohio who, like many mothers, uses baby monitors to watch her kids while sleeping. In December 2020, McIntosh got lucky when she caught a touching interaction between two of her sons on video. The younger son, 18 months old at the time of this story, woke up in the middle of the night but could not go back to sleep. But in an adorable and selfless gesture, McIntosh’s 10-year-old Mason came into the room, comforted his little brother, and put the restless toddler back to bed.

A mother’s antenna often goes up when she thinks her child is in need of assistance, but moms can’t keep track of everything. Thankfully, technology has helped parents to expand their reach even further. And, as the video below demonstrates, some of these parenting tools make for great videos.

Parents used to raise their children without access to monitors, as many of us know. As technology got better, they had better gadgets to choose from for parenting. First, there were baby monitors with sound, which have been around for decades. In fact, the first baby monitor, the Zenith Radio Nurse, came out in 1937. Now, there are video monitors that have a “mute” option, can scan the room, and even tell you its temperature. These monitors are helpful for parents, especially when babies and small children sleep in their own rooms.

McIntosh’s story is both a great example of how parenting technology has changed while also being a heartwarming tale of sibling love.

McIntosh was using a baby monitor to see if her then 18-month-old son Greyson would go back to sleep on his own. If not, she would have to go to his room and check on him.

However, McIntosh got to witness an impressive and heartwarming moment on screen. Mason, McIntosh’s 10-year-old son, came up on the baby monitor’s screen while she was watching. He flipped on the light switch and went over to the crib, lifting little Greyson out of the crib and playing with the toddler.

He went through several activities to keep Greyson entertained. These activities included reading a book and getting into the crib with him, as the video shows. Mason stayed with his brother for over 30 minutes to try and get him to go back to sleep. McIntosh posted the heartfelt encounter on TikTok where the video received 4.7 million likes. “I heard him fussing so I checked the camera to see if he would just fall back asleep ... and saw his brother showing the best example of love and patience,” McIntosh explained in the video.

In the video, McIntosh explains that she made sure to ask Mason why he took care of Greyson. "He said he wanted me to get some rest, because I did a lot that day,” McIntosh adds in the video. “While parenting is not his responsibility, just the fact that he understood that he is his brother's keeper, and considered my long days as a mom, is much appreciated.” Mason seems like a fourth-grade student who shows compassion beyond his years.

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Do you know of many 10-year-old boys who would get out of bed at 3:00 a.m. to take care of a cranky sibling? Mason did this of his own accord. “I’m sure Mason was tired and cranky. He was woken up at 3 a.m,” McIntosh told NBC. “But how you saw him treat his brother is how he is. He steps up. I was smiling the whole time. He has a love for Greyson that is unspeakable. I can’t even really explain it.”

While Greyson’s thoughtfulness is remarkable, it turns out that there are many stories of older siblings answering the call of sisterhood and brotherhood. Take Levi and Vivi, for example. They are a brother and sister duo from Santa Monica, California, according to the Daily Mail. In October 2019, the two shared a room, and their parents had a baby monitor set up. In the middle of the night, Vivi woke up and stood up in her crib, and told her brother, “I want to lay down in your bed right there while taking my baby.” She also wanted to get up and get her binky, and so the adorable girl went on to ask her older brother if he could get a stool.

Levi put the stool in position for his sister to climb on and went back to his bed. Vivi got down on the stool, but she forgot her doll. Levi says, “We'll get your baby. I'll get your baby." If the clip’s popularity is any indication, the adorable interaction is one of those unforgettable feel-good moments on the internet.

The video received over 79,000 likes on Facebook, 57,000 shares and 17,000 comments, according to the Daily Mail’s October 2019 reporting.

In December 2019, Nicole Powell of Cabot, Arkansas, posted a similarly adorable video on Facebook of her sons Tripp and Rayce that quickly went viral. Rayce was 6 years old at the time, and Tripp, who doctors diagnosed with Down syndrome, was a newborn.

Rayce bonds with his younger brother by singing, as the video shows. In the viral video, he sings “10,000 Hours” by Dan+Shay and Justin Bieber while looking down at his brother with what looks like an expression of pure love.

Powell explained that doctors didn't have much hope for Tripp after scans showed he wouldn't have much chance for a good quality of life. Doctors even recommended the couple terminate the pregnancy. “I said absolutely not,” JJ Grieves, Tripp’s father, told KARE 11. “He's the same as the rest of us. He just takes a little longer to learn, a little more caring, a little bit more loving, but isn't that what the world needs?” Luckily, if “a little bit more loving” is truly what Tripp needs, then Rayce seems to have his brother covered

All three of these videos show the intimate and heartwarming connection between siblings. Whether we look at Mason’s seemingly unwavering dedication to his younger brother, Levi’s thoughtful gestures or Rayce’s soothing voice, it’s clear that — regardless of what rivalries they might have later in life — siblings are meant to stick together. 

What did you think about these stories of sibling love? Have you had similar experiences with your brother or sister? Let us know — and don't forget to pass this on to your friends, family members and siblings!