Internet Gushes at Man’s Gesture for Wife Who Had Problem Sitting Outside

The best gifts are handmade—and practical, one woman argues.

A video posted to TikTok by Caitlin (@caitlinthatcher1) went viral for revealing the adorable gesture her stepfather made for her mother. After her mother said that she didn’t like the sun in her eyes, her stepfather built a sliding wooden panel to shield her from the sun in the evenings. Since the video was posted on June 1, it has received 3.2 million views and over 220,000 likes.

“POV: Your mom sits outside every evening but complains that the sun is always in her eyes, so my stepdad built this for her,” Caitlin captioned the video. “He builds everything for her and us.”

The video shows Caitlin’s mother sitting on their porch, sliding her freshly installed wooden panel to block the sun from getting in her eyes.

In the comments, Caitlin offered more information about the adorable effort. She said that her stepdad intended to stain the wood to match the wood of the porch and that “half of the things in [her] house are things he built for her, just to make her life a little bit easier.”

After her video received so much positive feedback, Caitlin decided to continue showing the world the love her stepdad has for her mother. In a “part two” video posted on June 5, she revealed a coffee corner he made for her mom, including a cabinet with mugs and coffee and a shelf with a coffee maker on top.

Caitlin also gave viewers a look into the pair’s relationship beyond hardware: she wrote in the comments that every time the couple goes on dates, they wear the same color. “My stepdad wore a light blue polo shirt this night to match with my mom,” she said.

What Do the Comments Say?

Viewers gushed at the act of love and attention. When Caitlin’s stepfather could have opted for a less elaborate solution—or ignored his partner’s complaints altogether—he went above and beyond.

“Moments like this remind me moms are just girls who finally picked the right man,” @princessmelllow wrote. “Sounds silly, but it makes my heart smile.”

“The fact an umbrella could have been bought, but he decided to build something for her,” @dee.cee423 commented.

“One man sees a nagging wife; another sees an opportunity to make every evening an even more enjoyable one, for the love of his life,” @samstorm1990 wrote.

One comment summed it up perfectly: “She’s loved to the point of invention,” @rayesachowdhury84 wrote.

Newsweek reached out to @caitlinthatcher1 for comment via TikTok.