A college student who texted her mom just before finals week was left in tears at what happened just a few hours later.
It is often said that college is the best time of your life, but it can be among the most stressful, too. In 2018, a four-year longitudinal student examined the adjustments that 5,532 college students experienced over the course of their time there.
The study, published in the journal Emerging Adulthood, found that college is an inherently stressful environment with students facing a multitude of new responsibilities as well as stressors such as personal finance, living away from home and their studies.
It is understandable therefore when sometimes young people struggle with anxiety and depression in this kind of setting. In those situations, it is crucial for students to turn to others for support, and sometimes, those "others" are their parents.
That's what Breanna Lambert, a student at Kansas State University, did in the run-up to finals week. "I wasn't able to go home for Thanksgiving, due to my job," Lambert told Newsweek. "I am a huge family girl, so that was very hard for me."
Lambert's family live 600 miles away in Wisconsin, so seeing them regularly is difficult. They still talk and message over the phone, though, so, when Lambert felt like things were getting on top of her, she didn't hesitate to contact her mom.
"Can you call me when you are free please?" she messaged her mom at around 2:52 p.m. one day. "Yes. Everything OK?" her mom replied.
"Ya, I'm just feeling anxious and wanted to chat," was Lambert's response.
Her mom never ended up making that call, though. They never had that chat over the phone. Lambert was in the dark that her mom and dad were already heading to the university to see her.
"I guess they just decided to surprise me to help me get through the rest of my semester," Lambert said.
She had just happened to message them at the point when they were a little over an hour away from the university campus.
So, by around 4 p.m., they were on site and ready to spring the perfect surprise on Lambert. "My mom has my location so that's how she knew I was at the gym," she said.
A video posted to Lambert's TikTok, @breannakate04, captured the moment her mom and dad surprised her as she was on the treadmill. Lambert appears in shock, before breaking down in tears and embracing both of her parents.
The surprise could not have come at a better time and provided Lambert with some much-needed emotional support.
"It felt so relieving to see them during one of the most stressful times of my semester, right before finals week and with how busy I had been with my job," Lambert said.
The clip showing how things unfolded has been watched over 16.8 million times, with viewers full of praise for Lambert's parents.
"I hope you know how lucky you are, really," one wrote. "This is the kind of parent I aspire to be for my kids," another posted, with a third commenting: "You're so rich in life."
English (US) ·