Summer Clayton may not have kids in real life, but he is a proud father to 2.8 million people on the social media platform TikTok. He sits down to dinner every week and has a virtual chat with his children, according to CNN.
He looks into the camera with empathy and tells his followers that he is proud of them. He teaches his "children" how to shave and reminds them that it is OK to feel pain when life hurts. Some days, Clayton even prays with his "kids."
In one recent video, Clayton can be seen asking, "All right, how was your day?" to his virtual child. He asked his virtual kid to tell him one good thing that happened and one challenging thing.
Clayton talking to his virtual kids is a huge hit on TikTok
He then pauses in the clip, allowing his virtual child time for a response. Clayton replies to the response seconds after that, describing what his virtual kid said on the other end as really cool and that he would definitely celebrate that.
Clayton then asks for the one challenge his virtual child had to overcome today. The same format ensues, with Clayton pausing to allow his kid to respond. He continues seconds later, saying he is sorry they had to go through that, but he hopes they keep talking to people about how they feel. He concluded his message by saying, "I love you, I do. Let's eat!"
Clayton, a civilian fitness trainer at Columbus Air Force Base in northeastern Mississippi, is not a life coach or therapist. He is also only 26 years old and has no children, according to Upworthy. His one-way conversations may seem silly to some people, but his charisma and compassion come through in his videos on TikTok, which have struck a chord among people who need someone who appears to listen to their troubles or just a father figure in their lives.
Clayton started posting TikTok videos back in 2020
When asked about his approach to the videos, Clayton said that there are a lot of great memories that he pulls from his childhood, but there are also these deficits that he does not want other people to experience, whether it is the feeling of sitting alone in the schoolyard when he was younger or just not having that relationship with his dad that he wanted.
He added that it allows him to practice what it means to be nonjudgmental and kind. Clayton is a known health buff with a master's in kinesiology and a bachelor's degree in corporate fitness. Clayton loves taking photos, cooking, and lifting weights when he is not making videos or working at the base.
Clayton started posting clips on TikTok in late 2020 with how-to and inspirational videos, prompting his followers to jokingly call him their dad on the social media platform. His first viral video was a shaving how-to with Clayton responding to a follower who sent him a message asking, "hey Dad, can you teach me how to shave?"
