Mom Overwhelmed by Flying Alone with Toddler — and Then Strangers Shocked Her with Their Reactions (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Gabrielle G. and her son.Photo:Gabrielle G/@notaregularnanny on tiktok

Gabrielle G/@notaregularnanny on tiktok

One mom is showing just how far a simple act of kindness can go.

However, just before boarding, Gabrielle and her son were kicked off the flight due to space constraints. This caught the attention of another mom and her 2-year-old son, who were on the same flight.

“She saw me at the desk and noticed that we got kicked off our flight,” Gabrielle tells PEOPLE. “She told me that she was happy to put her child in her lap so that we could have the extra seat. And so, we ended up getting a seat on that plane after all because of her.”

Gabrielle G.’s son at the airport.Gabrielle G/@notaregularnanny on tiktok

At that moment, Gabrielle had no idea that this would be the first of many acts of kindness she’d experience on her journey home, including from the man sitting in the window seat, who held her son up to look out the window, as they had an aisle seat.

Eventually, mom and son arrived in Detroit, only to discover that their flight to Florida had been canceled. Gabrielle recalls how there were no available flights, rental cars or hotel rooms. The only option was to wait three days for the next available flight.

As she considered her options, Gabrielle noticed people offering to help watch her son. “These little boys just played with him while I was frantically trying to find a hotel room,” she says.

“And he did,” she continues. “There were just all these helpful people, especially when we realized we had to take the Amtrak train to get home, and it took us almost three days — 36 hours.”

Throughout all of this, Gabrielle, who shares motherhood content online, had been filming their journey. When she saw all the amazing people helping, she decided to document those moments as well.

At first, she planned to send the videos to her parents, but as the acts of kindness continued, she realized she wanted to compile a lengthier video and share it online.

“Even that mother giving us her seat, and things like that — just above and beyond kindness,” she adds.

Gabrielle G. and her son on the train.Gabrielle G/@notaregularnanny on tiktok

“People just saying, ‘Wow, it’s not all bad out there. There are good people. Thank you for reminding us,’ " she recalls. “And I feel like that was the overall vibe of what people got from the video.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Looking back at the moments now, Gabrielle has realized that there will always be people in the world willing to help — you just have to open your eyes and find them.

“We all need to ask for help and lean on the kindness, maybe even the kindness from strangers, people we don’t know,” she says. “I think what stops a lot of people from accepting that help is being embarrassed.”

source: people.com