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A TikTok showing a family adopting two soldiers for the day quickly went viral
The two soldiers joined the family of 10 for their day of bowling, shopping and Popeyes
The family still keeps in touch, calling the bond lifelong
Two soldiers joined a family’s ordinary day and, by the time it ended, felt like they had always belonged there. The moment, later shared in a viral TikTok, showed a family of 12 bowling, walking through Walmart for snacks and laughing together.
“I didn’t take this lightly at all. I took my role serious,” Tara Jean Baptiste said in the viral clip shared on TikTok. “Being their adopted family for the day wasn’t just something nice to do — it was a responsibility I carried with my whole heart.”
That sense of responsibility, Jean Baptiste explains now, had been forming long before the moment ever unfolded on camera. Jean Baptiste tells PEOPLE this was the first time her family had adopted soldiers for the day, but they fit in with her already-large family.
“Long before we even rented the Sprinter, I told my husband that I wanted two more children,” she says. “He laughed, because we already have 10.”
She recalls telling him that she wanted to adopt two soldiers despite not knowing how it would happen. When the family arrived, she says there was no guarantee there would be anyone to adopt at all.
“Yet God placed exactly two in our arms,” Jean Baptiste says. “That’s what makes this so powerful to me.”
The family made an outing of the day, taking the two soldiers on excursions
“One of my boys had never had Popeyes before, so we treated everyone and turned it into a moment we still talk about,” she says. What stayed with her most was how naturally the soldiers blended into the family dynamic.
“There was nothing forced about it; they fit right in with my children, like they had always belonged,” Jean Baptiste says.
One exchange, in particular, has stayed with her long after the day ended. She recalls speaking with one soldier’s mother when his son proudly introduced her as his adopted mom. “That moment will never leave my heart,” she says.
The connection didn’t end when the outing was over. Jean Baptiste says her family and the soldiers remain in touch, bonded by something she believes was divinely orchestrated. “When God connects hearts, distance doesn’t erase that bond,” she says. “When you open your heart to spread love that wide, the connection doesn’t end when the day does.”
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As the video circulated, messages poured in from people moved by what they saw. Jean Baptiste says the response has been an overwhelming outpouring of kindness toward her family.
She hopes the moment encourages others to act when they feel called. “I would tell them to trust the nudge,” Jean Baptiste says. “God never intended for anyone, especially those who serve, to feel alone.”
“Yes we are a Huge family of 12, but we have a huge heart and lots of love to share,” Jean Baptiste adds.
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‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source uk.style.yahoo.com ’
