One of the biggest challenges as a parent is knowing when to allow your kids the space to express themselves the way they want to, especially when they're young. But a mom on TikTok is providing a sweet example of how to embrace your kid's individuality. Julie Wise is the mom to 3-year-old Jay, whom she says doesn't feel like a kid and instead feels like a grandpa. She shared several video detailing Jay's journey from preschooler to full grandpa.
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In a video she titled "PawPaw activities," Wise details Jay getting himself ready to go out. After finding his grandpa wig, Jay can be seen standing at the door puffing on his pipe. Of course, his mom has to know if he knows what the purpose of a pipe is.
"Smoking," the little one says, as if his mom should know.
When asked what he's smoking, Jay adorably says "fire" before heading out with his blow-up cane.
Someone asked Wise, "Do you have to explain to people in public that he identifies as a grandpa?" In response to the question, the mom made another video.
In the video, she tells the story of the first time she took her infant daughter to the pediatrician's office.
"The pediatrician obviously asked Jay, ‘What’s it like being a big brother?’ And I looked at him, like, don’t. Don’t say [it], not here, not here," she shared.
"Of course, he said, ‘I’m actually a grandpa.’ And the doctor looked at me and was like, ‘A grandpa.’ I was like, ‘Yes, he wants to be her grandpa. We call him Grandpa.’"
During Wise's explanation, Jay bursts his head into the video and exclaims "I’m called PawPaw!" He may be a PawPaw, but in that moment, you can still see how he's very much a little kid.
Jay then asks if his wig is around, and Wise tells him it is, but adds an important fact for those wondering.
"We don’t bring the wig out in public, though. We do have boundaries here," she explained.
It's clear that Jay's wig is the center of his entire grandpa outfit; he isn't PawPaw unless he has his wig.
Wise shared a video of how Jay came to have his wig with the words "Dreams came true today."
There's no way to know how much longer Jay will continue to identify as PawPaw, but it's a real credit to his mom for realizing that his imagination is so important.
