There are surely differences between generations — technology capabilities, parenting styles, political affiliations, etc. However, no matter what age we land in adulthood, we were once all kids. Kids with summers off, no bills to worry about, and a sense of joy that just hits different when you’re a child.
The next time we think our parents just don’t get us or feel like they’re super out of touch, it might help to picture them as a young person, just navigating the world as best they can — like we all do.
One woman on Tiktok, Carrie Moses aka @carrie_momo, truly put this theory to the test when she transferred some of her grandparent’s old home movies to digital, featuring several clips of footage of her own mom as a kid.
In the viral video, Moses posts a side-by-side of footage from her own Childhood against clips from her mom’s childhood, showing that, at the end of the day, we’re all more alike than we think (there’s also, in this case, an amazing physical resemblance, too).
“Transferred my grandparent’s Super 8 films to digital ... and realize my mom’s childhood was a lot like mine...” she wrote in text overlay on the video.
The side-by-side clips show that both the Op and her mom were fans of dancing, pushing younger siblings around in their strollers, playing in the kiddie pool and making silly faces at the camera.
Whether growing up in the 1960s or the early 2000s, things weren't really all that different when it comes to being a kid. And when you look at the kids you might be raising today — all those puzzle pieces are there, too.
After the video went viral, gaining over 1.5 million views, commenters wrote on Moses’ video, noting how touched they were by the message behind the clips.
“Your mom recreated her childhood for you whether she knew it or not. You’ll do the same!” one person wrote.
The OP replied, “I can’t wait to have a girl haha. Who looks like us hopefully!!”
After the first TikTok went viral, Moses made a follow-up video with even more side-by-side scenes that show so many similarities between mother and daughter. Set to the tear-jerking song, “What Was I Made For?” By Billie Eilish, viewers see Moses and her mom both playing on the swings, playing “Ring Around The Rosie”, and blowing out birthday candles.
The final clip shows Moses and her mom, in 1998, hugging and sharing a sweet moment with a baby doll.
If you can get through the TikTok video without sobbing, you deserve some sort of award because the realization that your older, experienced, complicated mom used to be a simple little girl, playing hop scotch and Barbies, trying to find a place in the world, is too much to handle honestly.
And that our daughters will likely follow in our footsteps? I need a second box of tissues.
