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A college freshman was 'shocked' after his parents put posters of themselves in his room, including a life-size cutout of his mother

Aug 30, 2023, 04:44 IST
Insider
Hakin laughed at the life-size cutout.Screenshot/TikTok - jillwagner81
  • Hakin Wagner's parents went viral after they decorated his dorm with images of themselves.
  • Wagner told Insider he was "shocked" by the gesture, but ultimately thought it was funny.
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Some college freshmen are thrilled to say goodbye to their parents and invite their newfound freedom. Others quickly become homesick and miss seeing their family every day.

One student at Maryville University, Hakin Wagner, may not experience either because his parents decorated his dorm with a poster of his dad and a life-size cutout of his mother. Two TikTok videos of the moment — his parents setting it up and Wagner's subsequent reaction — have been viewed nearly a million times altogether, and internet users are obsessed with the wholesome exchange.

The videos were uploaded by Hakin's mother Jill Wagner, who is a momfluencer with over 1.8 million followers on the platform (Hakin himself has almost 100,000 followers). She has made numerous videos about her family, including ones about how they adopted Hakin.

In the first video shared over the weekend, Jill said her son specifically asked her to outfit his dorm with posters. "Bet next time he's more specific," on-screen text said as the camera showed the life-size cutout.

In the following clip, shared a day later, Hakin reacted with laughter and disbelief as he walked into the room and saw the huge cardboard figure of his mother.

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"Take this thing right out," he said as he walked toward it. "Honey, I know you're gonna miss me so much; I got a life-size picture of me for your dorm," Jill said, giggling.

After his father asked where he'd like to keep it, Hakin said while smiling, "Somewhere out where nobody can ever see it."

"That way, if any girls try to come in your room, they can see me," his mother offered.

"That is so embarrassing," Hakin replied, laughing.

He had a similarly joyous reaction to a smaller poster on the wall that featured his dad pointing at what appears to be a laundry hamper (it was pasted above his hamper).

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Hakin told Insider he was genuinely "shocked" by his parent's stunt, but ultimately found the whole thing funny, and added that his parents are "full of crazy shenanigans" and "always doing something that's extravagant." He plans to keep them up for the time being.

"I appreciate the gesture, you know, because she brought me in at a young age and has taken care of me all my life, and she never wants to leave me because I was the last child to leave," Hakin said of his mother. "She just wanted to be a part of my college experience as much as she can."

The replies were packed with people calling their interaction endearing. Some parents said they were inspired to try this on their own college-bound kids.

"Saving this for when I send my son to school," one person wrote.

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