‘I’m coming Papa!’ Toddler reunites with his grandpa at airport in adorable TikTok

A grandpa had quite the surprise waiting for him when he arrived to Louisiana from overseas.

Sandra Merry Lemoine, 53, known as @Sissymerry1969 on TikTok, captured the moment her 3-year-old grandson Bennett surprised his grandpa Terrell when he arrived home after working in Dubai, according to a July 24 TikTok that’s garnered more than 2.5 million views in just four days.

The TikTok video shows Bennett, excited to see his “papa” saying, “I’m coming Papa!” at the Lafayette Regional Airport.

Terrell, 52, works for an oil company on the water overseas and was gone for two months, Lemoine told McClatchy News in a phone interview.

“We have seven grandkids, and everyone loves their papa,” Lemoine said. “Bennett might just love him a little more.”

Bennett’s parents live an hour away from Lemoine, and her husband surprised her at the airport.

“Normally my husband gets in really late at night but this time he arrived at like 7:30 p.m., so they were able to make the trip,” Lemoine said.

But Lemoine said hearing Bennett talk “is more than just a video.”

“It’s a short video that everyone seems to love, but for us it’s bigger than that,” she said. “Bennett wasn’t speaking and didn’t speak until about three months ago. Him saying “I’m coming papa,” is really special for us.”

For those at the airport, it was also an emotional experience.

Lemoine said everyone who saw the reunion was in tears as Bennett sprinted to see his papa.

As for those on TikTok, users were quick to share how the video made them feel with one person saying “He wins the award for cuteness overload.”

“My heart melted,” another said.

This story was originally published July 28, 2023 at 5:07 PM with the headline "‘I’m coming Papa!’ Toddler reunites with his grandpa at airport in adorable TikTok."