Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
CALIFORNIA — Holding babies can be scary.
They’re floppy. They cry. They’re known to leak any matter of bodily fluids with little to no warning. Oh, and there’s apparently a soft spot on their head that you’re not supposed to touch — what’s that about?!
If you want to hold a newborn when you’re a little kid, the parents make you wash your hands and sit on the couch. Only then are you allowed to cradle a tiny human, with the help of a supervising adult and preferably six to eight supporting pillows packed underneath your knobby elbows. But what’s the protocol for holding a new baby when you’re more than 100 years old?
Jason Zwolak of Irvine, California, went live on Facebook last month to capture video of his 105-year-old grandfather holding Zwolak’s 5-day-old son Easton, and the internet loves it.
Referred to as Pop in the video, the centenarian doesn’t want to hold the little one at first, saying, “I don’t want to drop him.” But with a little prodding, Pop extends his arms and holds little Easton, smiling and holding his great-grandson close to his heart and melting ours.
Pop laughs and puts his face close to his progeny, seemingly enjoying the bonding moment. The video has over 16 million views on Facebook as of today.
