Florida toddler shows excitement for grandpa's school pick-up: See the adorable moment
Skip Poppell takes his two-year-old granddaughter, Palmer, to school twice a week. Young Palmer looks forward to seeing her "Ippy" in the mornings — and he sometimes even dresses up for the occasion.
A grandfather from Massachusetts is having a viral moment after his daughter shared online the text messages he sent while taking on a babysitting job for her.
"He’s definitely a fun dad," Molly Madfis of Los Angeles, California, told Fox News Digital of her father, John Madfis, 75. "He loves to be the center of attention, loves the limelight. And Arlo adores my dad."
Madfis and her husband, Gideon Boomer, 42, were planning a three-day trip before the birth of their second child when Madfis’ well-intentioned father, known to her son Arlo, 5, as Poppy, offered to babysit.
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Madfis said that what ensued over a three-day period was too good not to share with her followers on her @almostmakesperfect TikTok account.
Arlo Boomer, Molly Madfis and John Madfis share a hug. John Madfis, 75, went viral when his daughter Molly made a TikTok video out of his hilarious photos, videos and texts from a babysitting job gone awry. (Molly Madfis)
The video, which garnered over one million views was titled, "How to have a relaxing baby moon — don’t ask your dad to babysit." The footage includes the texts that Madfis received from her father while he took care of Arlo.
"In his mind he's like, 'Oh, yeah, yeah, it's really easy,’" Molly Madfis said. "He raised me 37 years ago and so he’s thinking, ‘I’ve done this before.’
"But a lot of time has actually passed and things have changed," she added. Plus, I had a nanny. I'm not sure how much he actually did back then."
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Her dad offered to babysit Arlo several times, Madfis said, but she had some reservations.
To make sure he did everything right, John Madfis, aka Poppy, peppered his daughter Molly with texts while she was on vacation with her husband. (Molly Madfis)
"We have this video of Arlo as a baby and he was swaddled up on the couch. And my dad is next to him, on his phone and his laptop at the same time.," Madfis said, adding that in that particular video, Arlo falls over and her dad, John, gave him a tap and made sure he was OK before going back to what he was doing.
"So that's kind of like the kind of grandpa that we've always joked about him being," Madfis said. "He's a good grandpa. My son adores him, but, I mean, he’s not the first person I would think of for babysitting."
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Madfis ended up giving in and allowing her dad John to babysit. On day one, John was caught on camera leaving the house 30 minutes late, taking Arlo to school without a backpack.
John Madfis and his grandson Arlo lick brownie batter off the beaters after making some holiday treats. (Molly Madfis)
"After that, I had my brother come every morning and he helped Arlo get dressed and go to school on time," Madfis said. "I was like, 'He can't be late every day.'"
Madfis said she also arranged for a babysitter to come and oversee bedtime each night because she was not sure that her dad could handle it all.
"And he was so offended," Madfis explained. "He was like, ‘I can do it.’"
Before leaving her dad, John Madfis, in charge of her son Arlo for three days, she prepped all their meals and set out detailed instructions for how to cook each one.None of them were eaten, she said. (Molly Madfis)
Madfis prepped all of their meals and even left instructions so her dad wouldn't have to think about it, but none of the meals were made, she said.
"Somehow that was too hard for him," Madfis said.
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In addition, John often fired off texts before figuring things out on his own, Madfis said, like when asking which app to use to turn on the car radio. "Which one," the text read. "Never mind, got it."
John Madfis fires off a text to his daughter, who was away on her "babymoon," and then quickly realizes he didn’t need to text her because he figured it out. (Molly Madfis)
"He's just one of those people that will text me before thinking, ‘Oh, should I text?'" Madfis said.
On the last night of their getaway, Madfis got a barrage of texts about which temperature should be used to cook dinner in the toaster oven.
At one point, Madfis texted her dad, asking for some photos of her son. His reply: "Why? You know what he looks like."
"We were out to dinner on a date on our last night," Madfis said. "It was 6:30 and my son hadn't eaten. So I was like, okay, I'm just going to order you pizza, I guess."
After Arlo and his Poppy enjoyed the pie that arrived, Madfis got another text: "Huge pizza. Should I refrigerate? Put in plastic bags?" "When he was texting me nonstop, I was like, ‘I need to make a video,’" Madfis said.
"My dad is just fun. Everyone who watches him on my Instagram loves him because he's just such a character," she added.
At one point, Madfis texted her dad, asking for some photos of her son. His reply: "Why? You know what he looks like."
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"I honestly think he meant that seriously," Madfis said.
Comments left on Madfis' TikTok video were mostly from people praising the lighthearted story.
"Okay but this is cute lol," one person wrote.
"The "why you know what he looks like took me OUT" #TeamPoppy" another chimed in.
"Kid had the best week of his life and will remember it forever," said another.
John Madfis and his grandson Arlo lick brownie batter off the beaters after making some holiday treats. (Molly Madfis)
Others shared their own tales of grandparent-babysitting adventures.
"Bahaha my dad set the fire alarm, extreme cold alarm, and security system off 30 minutes after I left…the accuracy!" one woman commented.
"When my mom stays when we are out of town my kids are technically watching her," another wrote, while including a crying-laughing emoji. "she can’t even work the TV lol."
John Madfis of Newton, Massachusetts, is a stock market investor and World Boxing Organization judge who has refereed 460 fights — including 30 championship fights. Still, he always makes time for his grandkids, Madfis said.
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When Madfis and Boomer returned from their "babymoon," the house was in order thanks to reinforcements a worn out Poppy admitted that he appreciated greatly, Madfis said.
"He said it was actually pretty hard," Madfis said. "I'm not even sure why he was so exhausted, but just sharing presence with Arlo and having to be responsible for another life was a lot for him."
John Madfis of Newton, Massachusetts, sent hilarious text messages to his daughter while babysitting his grandson over a three-day period. (Molly Madfis)
Madfis said that Arlo "had a blast," regardless of any babysitting challenges his Poppy may have faced.
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"He was just along for the ride," Madfis added of her son. "He was like, ‘Oh yeah. We're having fun.’"
Madfis encourages everyone to check out her dad’s fun dance videos on Instagram.
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"He would be so happy," Madfis said. "That's all he wants to be known for. He doesn't want to be known as a bad grandpa."
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