If I thought I was alone in this opinion, I might be a little embarrassed. But countless conversations with other moms in my two decades of parenting tell me I’m not.
Target is magical. It just is. Target is like the Disneyland of big box stores. The Happiest Retail Store on Earth.
It’s not that the stuff it sells is remarkably better than any other retail outlet. It’s not that the prices are amazing or that the store feels particularly luxurious. It’s just … satisfying. Especially when you’re a parent constantly trying to keep your house organized while children follow you around undoing everything you’ve done.
Target has everything you need, more than enough of it and has it all perfectly displayed in neat rows. That’s true of a lot of stores, of course, but Target somehow does it better. Maybe it’s the lighting? Maybe it’s how forward-thinking the company is? Who knows. All I know is that a trip to Target alone is a legitimate form of self-care.
To illustrate, check out these toddler twins on their first trip to Target. They are all of us, squealing with delight at the magic that is Target.
@savyjane It’s @target right? 🎯 #myheros #preemiestrong #micropreemie #medicalmom #thattwinlife #twins #laughter #smiletoday #foryourpage #fyp
Those Gremlin-like giggles of unbridled joy? That’s what I hear on the inside when I walk through the aisles of Target. Every time.
TikTok user @savyjane shared the video, calling the boys Thing 1 and Thing 2 (a shout out to Dr. Seuss) and writing, “POV: You and your twin are immunocompromised former micropreemies and you experience the happiest place on earth for the first time…ever.”
The commenters loved it. Target even responded, saying, “My Target heart just grew three sizes.” Awww.
“If this isn’t the next Target commercial, I don’t want it…this is pure joy,” wrote one commenter.
“This is how I feel whenever I go to Target too,” wrote another. (See? Not just me.)
And another: “Girl, this is how Target makes ME feel, too.” (Seriously, it’s a thing.)
“Me at Target every single time. Too precious.” (Yup.)
Some of the comments pointed to the fact that the boys were immunocompromised, urging people to take COVID mitigation measures.
“I wear my mask for sweet babies like them,” wrote one person.
“THIS is who we get vaccinated for,” wrote another. “So happy they’re getting to experience new things!”
The pandemic has been hard on all of us, but for parents of kids who are at higher risk and who haven’t been able to get vaccinated, it’s been particularly stressful. Most kids fare okay if they get COVID-19, but there are lots of children with health conditions that make the virus something to avoid at all costs.
Imagining these sweet babies ill is just too much. Not when there’s this much joy to be had with them and from them.
Can you picture these two at actual Disneyland? They’re giddy over the diaper shelves at Target, for goodness sake. Please, @savyjane, pleeeeeaase take these cherubs to an amusement park and mic them up so we can live vicariously through their delight. Do it for the good of humanity. Our weary world needs this ASAP.