This is what parents do after adult kids get on flights

"This just hit me in the heart..."

For most teens and young adults, travelling is a rite of passage. 

But while they’re buzzing with excitement as they walk through the departure gates, parents are often on the other side looking a little misty-eyed with stomachs churning with nerves.

One daughter was able to catch exactly what her dad gets up to anytime his children board a plane. 

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"My mama does the exact same thing!"

In the video, which has now amassed 872K views, Shannen's dad appears glued to his computer screen as he watches one of his kid’s movements on a flight radar.

According to Shannen, this is his go-to routine when her or her siblings are travelling. It's heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.

Thousands of people commented on the the simple clip, with many sharing their own  stories of their parents or loved ones looking out for them. 

One viewer wrote, “I travel a lot for work. My mama does the exact same thing! She messages right as I land as well with a 'You’re back!' message.”

@shannen9615

🥹 #fypppp

♬ original sound - Noah Kahan

Another shared, “We don’t have kids, but I do this with my wife. Even on a night flight; who needs sleep?”

A few noted said the clip was bittersweet, as they didn’t have people in their lives who do this for them. 

“I don’t have parents, so hurts [sic] to see how it should be. But happy they exist like this,” one wrote.

“My dad just passed away and he always used to request all my flight info and text me when I landed before he got sick - this just hit me in the heart,” shared another viewer.

Image: TikTok/shannen9615

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"The invisible thread between us"

The TikTok even prompted Sara Goldstein, a mother and writer, to reflect on what drives parents, including herself, to this type of “surveillance”. She still follows all of her adult son’s flights, even for short, domestic trips. 

“Perhaps it’s the last vestige of control we have as parents of adult children. We can’t check if they’ve eaten vegetables or remind them to wear a coat, but we can watch that little digital airplane complete its journey safely,” she said. 

“While he’s soaring toward his own future, that invisible thread between us remains—a little stretched perhaps, but unbroken.”

And, perhaps that’s just it. No matter how old they grow, how independently they live, there’s some part of you that’s always looking out, just checking that they’re safe. 

Originally published as This is what parents do after adult kids get on flights