Boy Whose Dad Is Deployed Asks Neighbor Every Day If They Can Work Together

Following his dad’s deployment to Syria, one adorable kid decided to fill the void by bonding with his neighbor. His new buddy’s daughter captured some of their beautiful moments together and shared them on social media.

The sacrifices of military men cannot be overstressed. Sadly, their families are not left out of these daunting sacrifices, as wives are forced to live without their partners, kids are separated from their dads for prolonged periods and deprived of certain childhood privileges.

In 2017, one young boy, Kelly Brian, knew exactly what that felt like. After his dad, who was in the military, was deployed to Syria, the youngster had to give up the one activity he usually enjoyed with his dad — working in the yard.

At first, he tried doing without their daily bonding time. However, when he could not take it anymore, he was forced to turn to his neighbor, Dean Craven, to seek that father-son connection.

Brian became hopeful after noticing his neighbors doing some yard work, which brought sweet memories. He then went to them to ask if he could help.

Dean, who only had three daughters, was more than glad to oblige, seeing the boy’s hopeful gaze. He welcomed the extra pair of hands, excited to finally experience some father-son activities.

From thereon, knocking at the Cravens’ door and asking to help out in the yard became part of the youngster’s daily routine.

Over time, Dean grew closer to the boy and began introducing him to other father-son activities like golfing and basketball. Since having Dean fill that, Brian has become happier as their connection strengthens by the day.

Not only has the good neighbor helped the tot deal with his father’s absence, but he has also indirectly assisted Brian’s dad in grooming the kid into quite the handyman.

Dean’s daughters couldn’t help but appreciate the young lad’s act of kindness each day he showed up to help out in the yard. One of them, Molly Cravens, captured some of the heartwarming moments and shared them on Twitter. She captioned:

“This is our little neighbor. His dad is deployed in Syria and every day he comes to the door asking to work with our dad. Appreciate today.”

The post, which has garnered over 19,000 likes, shows the boy on different days, either knocking on their front door, doing yard work with Dean, or going golfing as a pair.

Several netizens have reacted to the post, admitting Brian’s exemplary gesture melted their hearts. Commenting on the post, one now-deleted user wrote: “Oh my goodness. That is so sweet! I’m getting all teary at work.”

Many commended Molly’s dad for being a reliable neighbor nice enough to help a little boy fill the void while his dad was away serving the country. A comment read:

“Read this. Made me cry. So nice of your dad to do this for this little guy. Hope his dad gets home soon & give him a big hug.”

Several media outlets requested to have Brian featured in an interview session. As Brian’s story continued making the rounds, netizens clamored for the famed TV host Ellen DeGeneres to feature him on her show.