Father kept the same ringtone for nearly 20 years. Any dad who hears it will instantly understand why

Ringtones matter. As unimportant as it may seem, a ringtone is, in fact, a sound that repeats in the person’s ears multiple times a day, like a cassette on autoplay. So even when the phone is not ringing, the repetitive tone becomes a part of the brain’s sonorous script, oftentimes reminding them of something – a memory, a feeling, a task. For one man, however, his ringtone stirs up a memory of when he lived with his 8-year-old daughter two decades ago. In a TikTok that has been viewed more than 241,000 times, a 22-year-old woman, Bailie Buchanan (@bailiemaddisonn), shared that her father, Gerban, hasn’t changed his ringtone since 2005. Each time his phone rings, the tone that plays brings him to the moment when his daughter, Buchanan’s sister, recorded a song in her voice.

"No one can part my dad and his ringtone of 20 years of my sister singing when she was eight," Buchanan described in the overlay text of the short video. The video showed her father holding his phone in one hand. The phone was ringing to the tune of “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton, as sung by Buchanan’s sister 20 years ago. As Gerban moved the phone closer to his ear to listen to the song, he bobbed his head excitedly, enjoying the song. Further into the video, he stood up while swinging his body and head, which displayed the immense love he felt for his daughter. "He is so cute," Buchanan captioned the video.

In the comments section, people churned out hilarious memes and funny stories about Gerban’s ringtone. “Everyone: ‘Why’s he never answering the damn phone,’” exclaimed @nickbrave. @gillstrapbassbaritone said, “This is the vibe I intend to bring to fatherhood.” @llyncooljones shared, “My dad’s old ring tone was me saying ‘daddy answer the phone’ and his text tone was my brother saying 'open your message daddy.’”

Referring to Buchanan’s sister, @tara.jayde4 suggested, “That ringtone needs to be played at her wedding!” Her sister, however, finds this recurring ringtone a bit haunting, Buchanan told Newsweek. "My sister definitely loves it but did mention that her 8-year-old voice is still haunting her 20 years later when I posted the TikTok. I think she might be offended if his ringtone did finally change after all these years," said Buchanan.

The woman revealed that her mom and dad split up when she was quite young, but despite living separately, her dad didn’t forget to express his love for her. "My dad is full of pride for all of his children - all 13. He will try and show off his children's achievements at any given chance, and my sister was his first-born daughter," described Buchanan.

Gerban, she said, had had many phones over the years and every single phone he ever owned had the same ringtone. “I just loved how normal it was to us, but realized how lovely it was at the moment I decided to record. So many years later, he absolutely loves it - and loves to show it off to anyone he meets,” said the lucky daughter.

While every parent and child go through all kinds of phases in their relationship, for Gerban and her daughter, this classic and whimsical ringtone serves as a constant reminder of how much they love each other and will continue to do so for years to come.

You can follow Bailie Buchanan (@bailiemaddisonn) on TikTok for lifestyle content.