Toddler’s simple act of kindness for his grieving brother will melt your heart

Grief is never easy, but grieving as a parent—while your child grieves beside you—adds another layer of heartbreak. In a now-viral TikTok video with 1.5 million views, mom Nickie Hendryx (@nickiehendryx) captured a moment between her sons that left the internet in tears.

As her older son, Mason, sobbed, mourning the loss of a loved one, his younger brother, Owen, quietly stepped in. He reached out, wrapped his tiny arms around Mason, and then, in a soft whisper, asked, “Cuddle?”

That one word shattered hearts across TikTok.

• “That small whispered ‘cuddle?’ broke my heart, bye.” — @Mida
• “That ‘I miss nana’ 😭 I cried with him from that point on.” — @Queenie
• “Oooh what a sweet lovely little lad, well done mom you should be so proud.” — @lindyloo

Nickie, who shared the video, wrote: “Lump in my throat watching this back. I held back before comforting Mason as I wanted to see what Owen would do. The hardest part of grieving as a mom is not being able to take your child’s grief away.”

The emotional weight of grieving while parenting

For many parents, navigating their own grief while supporting their children’s emotions is an impossible tightrope walk. Young children, though, often possess a raw and instinctive empathy that adults sometimes struggle to express.

Owen didn’t try to explain away Mason’s sadness or offer words of comfort that might fall flat. Instead, he simply offered connection—the purest, most human response to grief.

Related: How to cope with grief when your kids are grieving, too

How to help young kids process grief

Grief looks different for every family, but experts suggest a few key ways to support children through loss:

• Acknowledge emotions openly. Let your child know it’s okay to be sad and to miss a loved one.
• Model healthy coping mechanisms. Children take cues from parents, so expressing your own emotions in a healthy way can help them feel safe doing the same.
• Encourage connection and comfort. Simple gestures like cuddling, talking about happy memories, or drawing pictures together can provide emotional relief.
• Use clear, age-appropriate language. Avoid euphemisms like “went to sleep” when discussing death, as they can confuse young children.

Nickie’s video struck a chord because it reminds us of the power of love, even in life’s hardest moments. Grief doesn’t have to be processed alone—and sometimes, all we need is a tiny hand reaching out, offering a cuddle.

Related: How to help your child deal with the death of a loved one

For more on navigating grief as a parent, check out these related Motherly articles:

• How to cope with grief as a parent
• How to help your child deal with death
• How to talk about death