Tori Miller began writing lunchbox notes to her son Oliver to help him through the day.
Each day she would write about facts and messages to Oliver, but never thought about what he did with the notes.
Until his second grade parent-teacher meeting, when she asked to see his desk.
Fearing that his desk was a mess, she was shocked to find that he'd kept every single one of her notes in a plastic bag.
Overwhelmed with emotion, she posted the picture to Reddit.
I put a note in my son’s lunch everyday. Today at parent/teacher conferences I found out that he keeps every one. from r/aww
“After the kids went to bed I checked Reddit again and it was at 50K and on the front page, I was completely blown away,” Tori told the Press Association.
“I mean, let’s be real, it was a picture of some folded up notes in a plastic bag.
“There were so many people praising me which was so unexpected and amazing. Even now it makes me cry because sometimes, as a full-time parent, you need that validation.”
The inside of the notes are even cuter themselves, and Tori follows the same pattern for each one.
“Every note has, basically, the same structure. I start out by wishing him a good, happy day, maybe mention one of his special classes he has that day like computer class or library. Then I try to give him some encouraging words to help him through any rough spots throughout his day. I always end them with a fun fact so that he has something to share with his peers,” she revealed.
Oliver is, according to Tori, an "emotional boy" who "feels very deeply and passionately, so he can get upset fairly easily which makes social situations sometimes difficult for him."
“Naturally, I worried about him every day, all day. That’s when I decided to write the notes, so that he could feel me with him on those rough days.”
Not only do the notes help Oliver through the day, but they also stimulate conversation when he gets home.
“He comes home and immediately wants to talk to me about the fact I wrote and how he shared it with his friends and teachers.
“It also helps me talk to Oliver about how his day went. I can ask him if my note helped him that day and that opens up the door for us to talk over the rough spots he had that day, or it allows him to tell me how he was able to navigate his way through those tough feelings.
“I really think that the notes help him through his day.”
One of the notes reads:
"Dear Oliver,
"Happy Tuesday, buddy!
"Have a great day, enjoy library and art. Use self-talk if you need to and don't sweat the small stuff.
"Hey, did you know that before Princess Peach came along,Mario had a crush on Mayor Pauline?
"They met in the original Donkey Kong game in 1981!
"Love, Mummy"
As a stay-at-home parent, Tori feels that the notes validate that she's doing a good job.
“Being a parent is the toughest job in the world. And when I saw that bag full of notes that I had just assumed were going in the garbage every day, more than anything I felt appreciated.
“I felt like whatever it is that I’m doing here might actually be helping him. And that is the best feeling in the world.”
