Mom comes up with quirky 'cardboard' strategy to keep her company after daughter leaves for college

Most parents find it extremely difficult to bid goodbye to their children transitioning to college. They often struggle with the harsh reality of no longer having their kids around the house. The same happened to a mom, Angie Zumwalt—who goes by @angiezumwalt on TikTok—after her daughter moved out for higher education. However, the mother found the quirkiest way to cope with her temporary sadness and her longing for her “favorite girl,” Kennedy. In the video, the mom revealed her hilarious solution, a “cut-out” replacement for her teenage daughter, leaving the internet in stitches.

Although sending kids off to college opens up new opportunities for parents to embark on a new journey, Zumwalt took a comical approach to deal with the momentary loss. As part of her “coping strategy,” Zumwalt created a cardboard cut-out avatar of her daughter. The loving mother built a poster cut-out of Kennedy’s smiling face with a mortarboard on her head. To protect it from wear and tear, the content creator also attached a wooden holder to the image. “POV: When your daughter goes off to college, but you have her cardboard cut-outs to keep you company!” read the overlay text as Zumwalt took her daughter’s cardstock figure to the supermarket.

The mother was missing the special everyday moments she shared with her “favorite girl,” especially their shopping trips together. To fill the void in her life while purchasing groceries, she placed her daughter’s cut-out figure in the shopping cart. As the 11-second wholesome clip progressed, the mom was seen posing with several such cut-outs on multiple occasions. At one point, Zumwalt was also seen taking a life-size portrait of her daughter on a long drive. The concerned mother, worried about her child’s well-being, found solace by placing the giant cut-out of Kennedy in the back seat of her car.

The comical clip further showed the mom waving at her daughter’s 2D imprint while driving, as if she was actually present. Later, the mom-and-daughter duo "performed" various other activities, including eating at the dinner table. After they "shared" a meal, the mom was also seen seeking her daughter’s approval for the meal preparation. Additionally, the mother was seen sharing her homemade noodles along with a soft drink with her daughter’s cut-out. She placed a bowl and spoon on the dinner table in front of the chair, where she placed the cardboard portrait. Following this, the video transitioned to Zumwalt planting a kiss on her daughter’s portrait. In the end, the caring mom tucked her daughter’s poster cut-out in bed at night.

The emotional yet hilarious act received widespread attention on social media, garnering nearly 270k views and 8k likes. Among the countless reactions, @collegemomchronicles lauded, “You are winning! Me going off to get one made.” “I have a few that we have in our house. One in her bed, so the dog thinks she’s there! Lol,” @rvince1128 shared. @shawnaschlich chimed in, "I slept with my daughter's shirt when she went to college."

You can follow Angie Zumwalt (@angiezumwalt) on TikTok for more parenting-related and uplifting content.