Mom opened Christmas calendar her kids made and then found 25 secret notes they wrote for her

Christmas is just around the corner, and most parents must have already started brainstorming ideas for Christmas presents. However, things always get extra special when kids turn up to surprise their parents. That's exactly what Kelle Hampton (@etst) experienced when her daughter, Lainey, finally unveiled the surprise she and the other kids had been working on ahead of the holiday season. On December 2, Hampton took to her Instagram to share the beautiful "advent calendar" her kids had designed specially for her. So far, the video has surpassed 500k views within only 24 hours.

Behind every date, there was a special note from one of her kids telling her something about her that they felt grateful for. Lainey had kept the surprise under wraps for a long time. In fact, Hampton revealed that she wasn't even allowed to enter her daughter's room for a few days. However, on the first night of December, Lainey finally let her mommy-dearest see the adorable calendar she had handcrafted with the other kids. The mom also read a beautiful message her kids had written for her. One of them had mentioned how she always made their house a cozy place and how invested she is in watching them grow up. Moreover, the children asked Hampton to include the calendar in her morning rituals. They asked her to read one note every single day throughout December while sipping on her morning coffee. "How can this gift ever be topped?" Hampton asked, clearly overwhelmed by the surprise.

Parenting is hard, and what makes it even harder is the guilt that lives rent-free in their mind. No matter how much they try, most parents feel like they're not doing enough for their children. In fact, a study by the Parenting Research Centre found that nearly half of the parents surveyed couldn't forgive themselves for parenting mistakes. Moreover, they found that about 1 in 6 constantly battle with guilt or shame regarding their parenting approach. Explaining it, Parenting Research Centre CEO Warren Cann said, "It’s not surprising that parents find it hard to exercise self-compassion when they are exhausted and live in a society where they are exposed to unrealistic parenting models, feel under constant scrutiny, and face high levels of criticism." Hampton, too, must have gone through episodes of parental guilt, but her kids' adorable gift may now serve as a testimony to how amazing a mother she is to them.

Meanwhile, reacting to Hampton's adorable video, @kalinsheick commented, "You did this. You raised these creative, brilliant, kind, considerate, grateful, wonderful humans. If you ever ever ever have a shred of doubt about how wonderfully you’re doing it. Go through this. You hit the jackpot, Mom." @a_little_extra_jayne wrote, "This is the sweetest gift ever! She has your thoughtful, creative, loving heart." @debby_messner said, "The sweetest gift ever. It’s such a reflection of your love for them. You have raised thoughtful and caring children."

Similarly, @megknowles89 confessed, "When the world feels dark and scary, I see things like this and remember there are kids being raised by people like you. You are raising compassionate, creative, and kind human beings. They are going to make the world better and brighter." @katie__callahan shared, "You are changing the world for the better through your beautiful children. You are a mom we all admire and find inspiration from in countless ways. Thank you for sharing your beautiful life with us." @angie_mahlke commented, "This makes me teary! We spend so many years making things magical for them. And then she goes and does this for you. She knows your love language for sure. Mirroring giving love in the way she receives it."

You can follow Kelle Hampton (@etst) on Instagram for more parenting content.

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