Photo: Jessica Barrie
Alison Hardebeckand her husband agreed on their son’s very first solo flight for a special reason — his cousin’s birthday.
“I grew up in California, I now live in Washington State. So my whole family is still in California, and my sister calls and says that for my nephew’s birthday that was coming up, all he wanted for his birthday was for his cousin to come to his birthday party,” Hardebeck tells PEOPLE of the situation that led to a once-in-a-lifetime experience for her son.
“Our son, he’s a typical firstborn son and he when he sets his mind to do something, he goes for it. But he is very curious and has a tendency to be a little bit more cautious,” Hardebeck says of the considerations.
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“He had some questions for me obviously, like ‘What’s it gonna look like? Where am I going to sit?’ And so he asked questions, I answered them, and he decided that this was something that he wanted to do, and we decided to support that.”
The moment would be nerve-wracking for any parent, but some dicey weather in Seattle led to additional concerns.
Once he was finally able to board, the 11-year-old was “so ready and excited,” but Hardebeck was left behind at the airport with her worries.
Jessica Barrie
At that moment, the pilot was simply doing what he’s done for countless other kids who have been on his flights throughout his career.
“One of the reasons I do it is because every parent loves having a picture of their kid in the cockpit,” Larimer tells PEOPLE, recalling times he was allowed to do the same as a kid, inspiring his love for flying.
“It’s one of those little pay it forward moments to other people whose kids think it’s a neat place to visit, to explore.”
Ross D Franklin/AP/Shutterstock
“I had put it in my stories, just the screenshot of my text and in my story and the response that I got was just overwhelming. It’s just, as a mom, you have someone here who said, ‘I’m going home to my boys too.’ Just the fact that you recognize as a parent, what that can mean,” says Hardebeck.
The Instagram Reel — which has amassed over 6 million views and counting — completely surprised Larimer, who had never had a parent reach back out in response to a cockpit picture before. The dad, who doesn’t spend much time on social media, was shocked at how much attention the gesture got.
Continues Larimer, “I was like, ‘Wow, this is kind of crazy’ and we were laughing, like who knew this was going to blow up?”
For Hardebeck, she believes Larimer’s decision to make a “human connection” may have a “lifelong impact” on the pre-teen. “So many commenters said that maybe this will plant the seed in your son, with a love of aviation. And it’s just a reminder that a little gesture of kindness, to make someone feel safe, can really go the distance.”
source: people.com
