https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4mJ0heURvA
Videos by InspireMore
Giving your children a gift they truly love is one of the greatest feelings a parent can have.
For Ryan Keating of Nixa, Missouri, finding the perfect gift for his son Ayden is actually pretty simple. Ayden has Down syndrome and is obsessed with flags, so all Ryan has to do is give his son some sort of flag-themed merchandise and he’ll be a happy camper.
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For Ayden’s birthday this year, Ryan went above and beyond to get him something that would really knock his socks off. Ayden had recently seen one of those wacky arm waving guys that are frequently placed outside of businesses to get the attention of those passing by. The little boy was enthralled by the fan-operated devices, awe-struck by their size and the sheer “coolness” of them.
Knowing how much Ayden loves to play with his toy flag collection, Ryan purchased an American flag wacky arm guy and set it up in their living room to surprise his son on his birthday.
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“He’s been obsessed with these for the past couple of weeks, so I decided to get him one for his birthday, and it just arrived and I just set it up. He hasn’t seen it yet,” Ryan explained.
As he recorded video of the big moment, Ryan went to Ayden’s room and knocked on the door. “Just be aware that he’s probably in his underwear,” dad says with a chuckle. (Hey, we don’t blame him a bit — Missouri is hot in the summer!) Sure enough, after opening the door to Ayden’s room he found the boy in only a pair of shorts, watching his toy flags wave in the breeze of a fan.
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Little did Ayden know that he was about to receive a much bigger flag being controlled by a much bigger fan!
“Ayden, I’ve got a surprise for you! Come on!” Ryan urges his son. The boy dutifully gets up off the floor and follows his father down the hallway. The second he walks into the living room and spots the wacky arm waving guy his face lights up with recognition and joy.
Seconds later he starts waving his own arms around in excitement. He simply can’t contain himself because he’s so happy!
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Ryan shared the video of Ayden’s reaction on YouTube, but it wasn’t until a friend shared the video on Reddit that it really took off and went viral. Soon people were offering to send Ayden flags and other gifts from all over the world. “Makes me overwhelmed with joy that my son can make others so happy,” Ryan said in reaction to the overwhelmingly positive response online.
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Just look at this beautiful boy’s face! He is the picture of joy. We should all be so happy about a simple gift like this one. Kudos to Ryan for knowing just what to get his son on his special day. We hope Ayden gets showered with new flags from all of his new fans on Reddit.
Be sure to share this sweet moment with others.
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