In Southern California, USA, a father has maintained the tradition of picking up his daughter from school to keep her happy. He even occasionally creates some “little surprises” to cheer her up. Although his daughter is already accustomed to this expression of love from him, on her last day of high school, the carefully planned scene by her father still brought tears to her eyes.
“It just felt so surreal,” Jayna Smith, a graduate of Golden Valley High School, told The Epoch Times, “When I saw my dad suddenly appear at the school gate, I realized that this would be the last time he would pick me up from school. A mix of emotions overwhelmed me instantly… He even had beautiful flowers and balloons in his hands.”
Jayna’s father, Jevin Smith, describes himself as a “fully committed” father. From attending every performance she was involved in, to watching every game she and her three siblings participated in, he says he has “been there for everything she has done.”
He said, “Throughout her 17-year journey of life, I have been with her, supporting her, never missing any activity she was involved in. I am proud of that.”
Since Jayna reached the tenth grade, this father of four has frequently gone to the school to pick up his daughter and prepared unexpected surprises for her in different ways. One of the interesting creative ideas was when he dressed up as his favorite hip-hop artist and danced along with their music.
Recalling the first time her father picked her up from school, Jayna said, “I was so embarrassed. He started dancing as soon as he got out of the car. I didn’t expect him to show up like that, it caught me off guard. So I immediately said, ‘Dad, get back in the car,’ because I didn’t want my friends to see my dad acting so exuberantly, and those who happened to witness it were all laughing.”
Gradually, Jayna began to enjoy this tradition. She realized it was a part of her father’s personality and a unique way for him to show his fatherly love. Her friends and classmates found this way of picking up the children too beautiful and were deeply moved as her father was willing to put more effort into showing his “kind and humorous” side in front of her.
“They think of him as a ray of sunshine,” Jayna said, adding that her friends also hope to do such things for their children in the future.
However, what is even more touching is that Mr. Smith hopes that through this form, his children will learn to face life more resiliently.
“I really think that by doing this, she will gradually develop a ‘not caring about what others think’ healthy psychological state. I hope she won’t overly care about what others think because people always have different opinions and viewpoints,” he said. “Sometimes we think others are looking at us with strange eyes. But the reality may be just the opposite, as she said, her friends really like my performance.”
Jayna shared her favorite memory over the years, saying her father once appeared holding a guitar and drove a racing car, resembling a prince stepping out of a fairy tale.
During the last time he picked up his daughter in May, he wanted to do something “special” for her. He chose the classic song “End of the Road” by the music group Boyz II Men. Although the song talks about the end of a relationship, Smith believed the song had a dual meaning.
“I chose ‘End of the Road’ because it is a very poignant song with profound meaning,” he said. “This day marks the end of her high school career.”
Smith originally thought this song and the “special welcome” would put a fun and vibrant period at the end of his daughter’s high school life, but it ultimately turned into an emotional moment that truly surprised him.
Jayna said when she realized that four years of high school had come to a complete end, tears of excitement welled up in her eyes.
“Looking back on everything I’ve been through, all the success I’ve achieved, and my dad coming to pick me up from school time and time again, it really moved me,” she said.
Currently, Jayna is preparing to embark on a new chapter at the University of California, Irvine this fall.
Although Jayna is about to step into adulthood, Smith still plans to actively participate in his daughter’s life.
“Her university is not far from our home,” he said, “So I will still suddenly appear in front of her.”
The original article title in English was “Dad Plans an Extra Special Pick Up on Daughter’s Last Day of High School: ‘I’ve Never Missed Anything’.”