Within the past few days, a little girl by the name of Maria Sofia Angulo Nava has taken the Internet by storm. Amazingly, the cute girl went ‘viral’, seemingly out of nowhere. In a video posted on social media, one-and-a-half-year-old Maria is seen doing something utterly simple, trying to communicate with her dad–but it’s the backstory that has viewers crying happy tears.

What makes the clip so special is that both Maria’s father, Jordan, and mother, Christina, are deaf, which can make communication difficult for the toddler. (Not like communication is easy for ANY toddler, though!)

In the clip, we see the little girl approach her father with joyous determination, smiling as she “babbles” on in sign language about “bread.” It’s a heartwarming moment because Maria’s father seems so touched by his daughter’s determination to have a conversation with him.

Unsurprisingly, the toddler’s sweet gesture didn’t just warm the heart of her father, Maria’s grandmother, Lupita Padilla, also found the video to be extra special. You see, little Maria’s grandmother contends that the toddler “really didn’t tell [her dad] anything in particular,” but what she found so moving about the clip was just how eager the little girl was to bond with her dad.

“All she wanted was to communicate with him, like every other child. What she wants is to talk to him, even though she doesn’t understand,” Padilla told the Daily Mail UK. “Maria is very smart. When I watched the video, I was very moved, I cried.”

According to the grandma, she was so inspired by the scene, that she has even made moves to start a group in her hometown of Obregon Sonora, Mexico for people interested in learning sign language. How cool is that?

What it’s like for children to grow up with deaf parents

In a piece published in Vice Australia, Angela Skujins explores the topic of Children of Deaf Adults, otherwise known as CODA. In it, she interviews a number of these now-adult children, with many explaining the responsibilities that fell on them at an early age, such as interpretation during financial handlings, medical appointments, and more.

Interviewed in the article is Brent Phillips, a deaf father of two hearing children and director at VicDeaf Australia. Phillips says that “there is much more that needs to be done to raise awareness about parenting and bringing up children in a bilingual environment, and maximizing success, and participation in society.”

“Attention needs to be paid to the 95 percent of deaf children born to hearing parents,” he continues, “and ensuring those parents are in a position to make informed decisions around communication, medical, and cultural interventions.”

 “It is not a question of deaf or hearing—it is a situation where a loving, tight-knit family uses a beautiful, visual language to communicate and bond with each other,” Phillips says.

Certainly, topics that the non-CODA might not consider enough. We agree that it’s time for kids like little Maria, to get the support they need!

Now that you know a bit about this family, as well as what it’s like for the children of deaf parents, it’s time for you to watch the video for yourself. To see little Maria try her sign language skills on her happy daddy, be sure to watch the video below. Something tells us that this babe will be signing away in no time!

We’d love to hear your take on this viral video. Are you surprised that this toddler was so eager to communicate with her dad? Are you the child of deaf parents? If so, do you remember any instances similar to this one?