Parents Go Viral for Hilarious Idea to Cheer Up Daughter, 5, After Her Grandparents Couldn't Come to Her School Event (Exclusive) Kayla GrantSeptember 17, 2025 at 4:42 PM 3 Courtesy of Mel Fernandes Mel and Brian Fernandes; Mel and Brian Fernandes's daughter After a 5yearold girl came home sad becau...
- - Parents Go Viral for Hilarious Idea to Cheer Up Daughter, 5, After Her Grandparents Couldn't Come to Her School Event (Exclusive)
Kayla GrantSeptember 17, 2025 at 4:42 PM
3
Courtesy of Mel Fernandes
Mel and Brian Fernandes; Mel and Brian Fernandes's daughter -
After a 5-year-old girl came home sad because her grandparents couldn't attend a lunch at her school, her parents knew they had to come up with a solution
Mel Fernandes, a 29-year-old mom of two, tells PEOPLE that she and her husband Brian Fernandes, 30, were "really determined" to make their daughter "feel special and included," despite her grandparents being thousands of miles away
The proud parents decided to dress up as their daughter's grandparents, resulting in a memory that will last forever
A 5-year-old girl was sad that her long-distance grandparents couldn't come to a special lunch at her school, so her parents came up with the perfect solution and created a memory that will last forever.
When Mel Fernandes saw her daughter Penelope, whom she affectionately calls Penny, return home sad with a flyer for a Grandparents Lunch at her school, the mom of two, 29, tells PEOPLE that she and her husband Brian Fernandes, 30, who's on active duty in the military, knew they had to do something.
"My baby was so sad when she brought home the flyer for Grandparents Lunch, knowing her grandparents all live out of state," she says. "We were really determined as parents to make her feel special and included."
Courtesy of Mel Fernandes
Mel and Brian Fernandes with their daughter.
Since neither Mel nor Brian's parents don't live close by, they had to get creative with their solution. The proud mom tells PEOPLE it was her husband's idea to dress up as their daughter's grandparents for the day, complete with sprayed-on gray hair, to make Penny feel special.
"It was such a great idea and we had so much fun dressing up," she says.
When the couple walked into the cafeteria, Mel spotted their daughter sitting with other classmates whose grandparents couldn't make it to lunch. She says that when her daughter saw her parents in the room, she was "looked totally confused."
It all clicked for Penny, who's in kindergarten, when her mom uttered her first sentence to her in that moment.
"I said, 'Hi grandbaby, would you like to have lunch with your grandparents today?' " Mel tells PEOPLE. "She was so surprised and jumped out of her seat! She was so happy and extremely surprised to see us."
Courtesy of Mel Fernandes
Mel and Brian Fernandes with their daughter.
Mel recapped the lunch in a post on TikTok, featuring several photos from their time undercover as Penny's grandparents. For Mel, Brian and Penny, the lunch was a core memory that they'll hold onto forever.
"This was a moment I will cherish forever," the doting mom says. "Penny did a great job referring to us as 'Grandma' and 'Grandpa' to not blow our cover."
Courtesy of Mel Fernandes
Mel and Brian Fernandes' children with their grandmother.
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Although they may be miles apart, Mel tells PEOPLE that her children, daughter Penny and son Cameron, 6, have a "very special bond" with their grandparents.
"My mom lives in [New Jersey], but we FaceTime her almost daily," she shares. "She and my kids have a very special bond. Whenever we do anything, my kids ask me to video it and 'send it to Gram!' My mom and I are really close, too, and we miss her terribly every day."
"Being away from your loved ones is the hardest part about military life," she continues. "We are lucky to visit maybe once a year, yet despite the physical distance, my kids are absolutely obsessed with their Gram, and she's the first person my kids want to talk to when something good or even bad happens."
on People
Source: "AOL Lifestyle"
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