Viral video captures hug between father and son, family reacts to its heartwarming impact

Sometimes you’ve just got to go for what your heart desires. That’s what a New York 8-year-old did when his dad was leaving for work.

Barefoot and still in his pajamas, Isaiah Lobdell ran out of his house on Aug. 3 as his dad was pulling out of the family’s driveway to start his workday as an ironworker.

After successfully flagging his dad down, his father got out of his truck, picked the boy up and the two shared an adorable, tight hug.

The moment was captured on the family’s doorbell camera and uploaded to TikTok. It has amassed 1.5 million views and nearly 183,000 favorites since then.

“The ‘I’ve gotta go to work’ hugs always hit a little different,” Tyler, the boy’s father, captioned the upload.

Made up of dad Tyler, mom Hailey and sons Isaiah and Hudson, the Lobdell family live in Constantia, just north of Syracuse.

The family says hugs are a huge part of their mornings.

“I probably have to give like five hugs a morning to each kid,” Tyler said. “Anytime they ask for it, I always go for it. I never turn down a hug.”

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"The hug heard 'round the world"

Isaiah told USA TODAY Monday evening that he ran out to see his dad because he just wanted to.

“He forgot to give me a hug and I wanted one,” Isaiah said. “He was going off for work so I was like ‘I’ve got to go get him now.’”

“Did he forget to give you a hug or did he forget to give you a tenth hug?” his mom, Hailey, laughed.

Isaiah loves his dad and he just likes hugging him, he said. His younger brother Hudson does too.

Tyler, the boys’ father, said when he saw his son running out of the house, he knew he wanted another hug. Once the sweet moment was over, something told him to check the family’s doorbell footage.

He was originally going to save the recording for himself but after watching it “a bunch of times,” he decided to share it on social media.

Tyler’s wife, Hailey, said the family is shocked by how many people have watched and commented on the video. Moments like this are a reality check for many people, she said.

“It reminds people of what they have, what they used to have, what they wish they had, and for some reason, people really gravitated toward us,” she said. “It was a good reminder for a lot of people to just slow down or appreciate when you still have these things or look back fondly on memories.”

His wife said it’s amazing that such a simple moment between a dad and son could inspire so many people.

“We kind of have referred to it as the hug heard ‘round the world,” she said. “It was just such a simple thing between a kid and a dad, just something that happens with us all the time. When you really stop and think about it, it inspires a lot of gratitude.”

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Getting to know the Lobdell family

The Lobdells save moments like these to look back on in the future. Their boys are growing so quickly and sometimes, they’re amazed by how much they’ve changed in just a year or so.

“It's crazy,” their mother said. “You look back on a video from a year ago and now that they're a little older, you think ‘They haven't changed that much.’ But when you really look back at pictures and videos, you realize they have grown and changed so much.”

The boys like looking back at their old photos and videos. The family often sits down to look at photos and reflect on memories they all share.

“The way our phones are now, with such nice cameras, we're really trying to take advantage of being able to take pictures and videos,” Tyler said.

Sometimes they hear the way the boys used to say phrases as babies and it makes them laugh and smile so much that they become part of daily conversation, the parents said.

“They're super creative kids,” their mom said. “They want us to feel love. They want to feel love.”

The first and third-grade boys are very personable too, their mother said.

“No one would accuse them of being shy,” she laughed.

The boys have “huge imaginations,” their mother said. They love building and they have tons of blocks they like to play with. Their house is full of their latest construction projects, their parents said.

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Family’s social media presence goes beyond viral hug moment

In addition to the hug video that captured the hearts of millions online, the family also uploads other videos to TikTok and film content for their YouTube channel called The Activity Archives.

Tyler said the boys asked to make YouTube videos last year. They get together with cousins and other family members to do activities outdoors such as ice fishing, magnet fishing and more.

The idea is to get parents to go outside with their kids, the boys' father said.

“We try to think of fun, different activities that we can do that may inspire parents to be like ‘Oh, we want to do that with our kids,’” Tyler said.

The family appreciates the kind words people have sent their way since their TikTok video went viral.

“It's reached so many people and so many people have felt it so deeply,” he said. “So many kids have gotten extra hugs and I think that part, for me personally, is the part that I really enjoy the most about it…to know that we're spreading love that way.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Video shows hug between father and son, family discusses viral fame