According to a report published in the American Sociological Review, roughly half of America’s children experience the breakup or divorce of their parents by the time they reach the age of 18. Even sadder, roughly 50% of that group will experience a divorce from the second marriage of one of their parents. These are startling statistics, but whatever your personal views on divorce may be, we think it’s important that good co-parenting be given the spotlight that it deserves.

Today, we are sharing a story with you that perfectly encapsulates this sentiment. It’s a bite-sized tale about an ordinary family that quickly went viral after footage from the event was posted on the Internet. In the clip, a mother by the name of Laura Dee surprises her children while at an airport, right before setting off on a family vacation to Cyprus.

According to Dee, Darcie, 11, and Callum, 9 thought that it was just the three of them going on the Mediterranean vacay, but when the kids got to the airport, they noticed that their father, Dean Bone, was waiting in front of the same terminal. That’s right, the kids’ father would be joining them on the family trip.

Now, we know that the scenario may seem commonplace enough, but what makes this event so special is that Dee and Bone are actually separated. The mom and dad of two are no longer together–yet, that little fact doesn’t stop them from co-parenting with the best of them.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, both Darcie and Callum were completely taken aback by the seemingly random presence of their dad at the airport. It’s not often that the offspring of divorced or separated parents get the opportunity to experience a vacation with both guardians. That said, it’s clear that both Dee and Bone have made a concerted effort to keep things as copacetic as possible for both their daughter and son.

In an interview with Newsflare, mom, Laura Dee, gave a statement to which all divorced out there can likely relate. “As parents seeing our children upset is hard, all we want is to make our children happy. Co-parenting is hard for many people but we are proud of what we have achieved with bringing our children up.”

Now that you’ve gotten some background on this family’s surprise vacation partner, it’s time for you to see this epic airport surprise. To watch this divorced mom and dad give their kiddos an emotional–and very special family vacation–be sure to watch the video below. The interaction may be a bit on the bittersweet side, but we think this sure is a situation in which co-parenting is done right. Good for them!

We’d love to hear your take on this family vacation surprise. Are you surprised that divorced parents would take their kids on vacation together? Are you a divorced parent who has done something similar? Do you have any co-parenting tips of your own that you would like to share?