Daughter Films Mom’s Reunion With Best Friends, Has Incredible Realization

A young woman has revealed she’s no longer afraid of growing old after witnessing the bond between her mother’s friendship group.

Caroline Conner, 21, posted a video to TikTok documenting the moment four of her mother’s best friends traveled to surprise her for her 60th birthday, and it has since gone viral, receiving over one million likes and over 2,300 comments from people gushing over the friendship group.

Conner spoke to Newsweek about the origins of the idea and why it meant so much, not only to her mother, but also to her.

“My mom’s best friends surprised her for her 60th birthday, and suddenly growing up isn’t so scary,” Conner captioned the video. “This might be my favorite video ever.”

Conner said that the idea for the surprise gathering came from her mother’s friend Diane. Diane, from New Jersey, decided to gather her other two friends—from South Carolina and Pennsylvania—to surprise Conner’s mother in Virginia. Despite knowing it would be a big deal to her, they didn’t know exactly how big a deal it would be until they saw her.

“My mom’s reaction was exactly what you saw in the video: total, utter shock,” Conner said. “She still will say: ‘I had no idea and couldn’t believe it when I saw them!'”

The friend group hearkens back to a time they spent together at the University of Lynchburg, where they lived in the same hall. Since that chapter, their commitment to each other has never wavered.

“They are the definition of best friends,” Conner said. “From weddings to funerals they had been next to each other through it all. To this day they have a group chat where they talk about anything and everything, and almost every day they are texting. They also have group FaceTimes when they can.”

In terms of in-person visits, things are less frequent, Conner said. The group aims to get together at least once per year—though sometimes it happens more than that, and sometimes less. Regardless, though, Conner said that when they do gather, it’s as if no time has passed.

This dedication inspired Conner herself, who found a morsel of hope for adulthood in the ease and dedication of her mother’s friendship group. She said that seeing her mother happy made her “insanely happy.”

“My mom has always been such a giver and the most selfless person I’ve ever met, so if anyone deserves surprises like these it’s her,” she said.

And the surprise wasn’t just a party, but a whole weekend. The best friends spent their time going out to eat, going to a winery and getting caught up on all that’s transpired in their lives since last seeing one another.

“They also did karaoke one night,” Conner added. “But, I’ve been told I’m not allowed to share that video.”