Lifestyle
18-year-old says he was ‘shocked’ at mom’s ’emotional’ college sendoff for him
One mom’s heartwarming and thoughtful sendoff for her college-bound son has gone viral, picking up over 71 million views on TikTok since it was uploaded less than a week ago.
Ben Szram shared the video post six days ago, which shows him walking out of a room and breaking into a smile as he heads toward a hallway and sees it lined with his childhood photos, toys and teddy bears, along with notes that read “We Love You” and “Good Luck in College.”
“I’m leaving for college today and my mom told me she had a surprise,” the 18-year-old wrote in text overlaid on the video. “All my childhood toys came to say bye.”
Courtesy of Kathy Szram – PHOTO: Kathy Szram surprised her son Ben by giving him a sweet send off to college with all of his teddy bears and toys lining the hallway of their home.
The rising freshman at Loyola University Chicago told ABC News the sendoff, reminiscent of a scene straight from Disney and Pixar’s “Toy Story 3,” where Andy gives away his toys to a young girl and the toys get lined up as he drives away, came as a complete surprise.
“I was in shock. Like, it was so shocking, because I had forgotten that those teddy bears had even existed, and so, seeing them and my mom telling the stories behind it and even seeing the pictures with me and those teddy bears, it was a lot … in a good way,” Ben Szram recalled.
Courtesy of Kathy Szram – PHOTO: Ben graduated high school with honors and is now attending Loyola University Chicago.
Ben Szram said he estimated his mom, Kathy Szram, had gathered about 20 to 30 of his teddy bears and beloved toys, from a horse to Mickey Mouse and Minions, to pull it all off.
Kathy Szram told ABC News she went back and forth for a month to select the photos — “from the day when he was born until his graduation day from high school” — and made sure to include her son’s most prized plushies over the years in the “emotional” surprise.
Courtesy of Kathy Szram – PHOTO: Kathy Szram with her son Ben.
“I wanted to just re-create the memory lane of who he is and how far he’s come as a person and make sure that this would be something that he always will cherish,” the proud mom said, adding she ended up crying all day and the following day after bringing the sendoff to life.
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One photo and toy pair was a snapshot of baby Ben Szram sleeping with a Mickey Mouse plush toy next to the toy itself.
Courtesy of Kathy Szram – PHOTO: Kathy Szram made sure to include one of Ben’s oldest toys — a Mickey Mouse plush toy — among those in the send off.
“The cutest one was me sleeping with the Mickey Mouse and the picture just being right next to Mickey Mouse,” Ben Szram said. “When I saw that, it made it kind of special … like he was saying goodbye to me specifically.”
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Ben Szram said he was not only surprised by his mom’s touching sendoff but also amazed at how much the TikTok video went viral. He added that the video took him “not even five minutes” to put together and was initially a memory he wanted to share with his friends.
“It’s crazy how much people were relating to us and and it’s comforting,” Ben Szram said. “I love hearing that I’m not alone with this feeling of leaving for college.”
Kathy Szram said for other parents saying goodbye to their kids as they head off to college, she wanted to offer a message of solidarity and support.
“My heart goes out to every mom,” she said. “I just want to wish every parent out there having the same emotional breakdowns like I did just all the best and all my love to them.”
The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of ABC News and Pixar.