Reminiscing about memories from our childhood often leaves us nostalgic and even longing to turn back time. However, not all memories are so light to remember. Some of the things that we experience as we grow up can be not so easily processed.

Today’s story is about a woman who shared her recollection on TikTok of what happened on her 10th birthday. The TikTok quickly got over 50k likes and 1k comments. Quinn Valentine is from Dallas, TX and currently has over 20k followers. Her story involves abandonment, a volcanic ash eruption in Iceland and her parents being stuck out of state. So stay tuned!

More Info: TikTok

Sometimes the best stories do not involve positive experiences

Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)

Woman recollects being abandoned on her 10th birthday on TikTok and goes viral

Image credits: qster14

The woman’s grandmother left her home alone, without any supervision, because she “just wanted to go home”. The parents asked if she could stay for a little longer to watch the little girl, but she rejected the request. Unfortunately, at the time the parents were out of state. The mom was on a trip to Prague with the girl’s brother, and the dad was on a work trip. Neither of them could come home quickly, especially the mom.

In 2o10, a volcano located in Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull, erupted, causing a major shutdown of any aircraft activity. This global event resulted in hefty losses for everyone stuck in airports. People were unable to come home to their loved ones, missing significant life events of their relatives and peers and not being able to refund the tickets.

The volcanic ash cloud lasted for 71 days and more than 100,000 flights had to be halted. Due to this global incident, there was no way the mom could get back home fast enough. Since the grandma left, the girl was left home alone on the morning of her 10th birthday.

Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)

The woman’s grandma left her home alone, even though her parents were on a trip; to make matters worse, it was her 10th birthday

The woman recollects that she woke up to a “dead silent” home and only found a note left by her grandma before leaving for Connecticut, stating “thanks for a great week. Happy birthday. Love you.” Straight out the gate, the woman suggests that perhaps the grandma didn’t really have “maternal instincts.” Which is weird, given that the grandma had had 5 kids.

But even if she didn’t have the “maternal instinct,” that doesn’t really cut it. Abandoning a kid, especially on their birthday, is brutal and not having the instinct to care deeply for them is not really a justification. The woman goes on to say, “It was the first time I was, like, left actually home alone.” Naturally, since she was a kid and it occurred before the smartphone boom, she didn’t really have anything to do with herself.

Fortunately, the little girl at the time didn’t need to celebrate all on her own – her neighbors threw a small party for her

Image credits: quinn_valentine

Suddenly, the little girl heard a doorbell – of course, she wasn’t allowed to open the doors for anybody, so she didn’t. The doorbell didn’t stop ringing, though. The girl peeked out, and it was all of her “little neighbor friends” on her front porch. Her parents got the word out that she was left all by herself on her 10th birthday, so the neighbors coordinated a little party for the girl. In the end, the collaboration of neighbors saved the day.

Lastly, the woman goes on to reiterate her point about the maternal instinct of her grandma: “You don’t think that you have, like, a maternal instinct, maybe don’t go on to just like, have kids for the sake of it.” From the woman’s point of view, given her experience, it might be a fair thing to say.

In the end, the parents had called their neighbors to take care of the little girl and they saved the day

Image credits: movie-screencaps (not the actual photo)

Talking about the maternal instinct, it’s a controversial topic which can cause great debate. According to a study covered in New York Times, maternal instinct is largely a myth. However, opinions still vary regarding this topic. Other studies suggest that maternal bonding is an actual thing. Changes occur in the parent’s brain which alter the actions of the subject in question. Nevertheless, it appears that maternal instinct is not a guarantee that the mother will nurture their offspring, in any case.

What do you think about the grandma’s actions? Did you have any similar experiences growing up? Is maternal instinct a real thing? Let us know in the comments below.

You can check the whole video below:

“It’s like Home Alone… but on purpose” netizens share a good laugh