One family’s poignant surprise for their grandparents has inspired an uptick in what the internet is referring to as “adult sleepovers”.
Mississippi resident Brandi M took to TikTok to share how she and her three children shocked her mother Pam Fair when they arrived at her house, sleeping bags in hand. In the video, which has now accumulated over 5.6 million views, Madelyn, Sydney, and Jakob, Pam’s grandchildren, walk in through the back door to find their relative watching TV. But as soon as the door opened, Pam swiveled in her chair to find her family holding supplies for the perfect slumber party.
Speaking to Today, Pam explained: “My daughter Brandi had mentioned that my grandkids wanted to come by that night but [they didn’t] so I washed my makeup off and put on my pajamas. Then the doorbell rang.”
To Pam’s delight, her grandkids weren’t the only ones to show up. Madelyn’s husband, Russel, and Sydney’s boyfriend, Ryan, tagged along as well.
With the sleepover taking place on 20 December, the sweet gesture was more of a Christmas miracle for Pam. According to her, her grandchildren would regularly stay overnight when Brandi would work the late shift as a nurse. At the time, her husband Larry was still alive. “He thought the sun rose and set with those children,” Pam noted.
To commemorate the past, Pam, Brandi, and the kids flipped through old photo albums. The sleepover also included a couple rounds of bingo along with a freshly baked breakfast the next morning – biscuits and gravy.
Brandi captioned her video: “Surprised their Nana with a sleepover. They haven’t done this since they were little.”
The proud mom confessed how excited Pam was to spend the extra time with her family. “She said: ‘I will never forget this,’” Brandi told Today.
Viewers seemed to share the same sentiments and joy, adding comments on Brandi’s video to express their admiration.
“I’m so jealous of these adult kids that have grandparents that love them unconditionally. Protect this nana at all costs,” one woman added, while another said: “I would give anything to have an adult sleepover at my nans. I miss that woman beyond belief. I hope I’ll have this one day with my own grandchildren.”
“Best trend ever I hope it becomes tradition,” someone else wrote.
More families have been arranging and sharing their own adult sleepovers on TikTok since then. On 26 December, Julia Galluccio posted a video to show how she and her five cousins planned a surprise slumber party at their grandparents’ house.
The Independent has contacted Brandi and Julia for comments.
