Mom Shares Touching Video With Important Consideration When Remarrying

A heartwarming video of two women tying the knot has racked up over a million views on TikTok.

The footage shows the moment Courtney Morris-Diehl, 33, walks down the aisle as her partner, Barbara Morris, 30, waits at the end. But it isn’t just the adorable moment that has captured the attention of thousands, but the message written above it.

Morris-Diehl, from Texas, explained that as a single parent, she had to make sure her new spouse was also the “right person” for her son Elijah, six, when remarrying.

The army veteran told Newsweek: “Raising a child in a blended family can be so difficult, but ultimately everyone deserves to be happy and it should be a good fit for both partners and their children.”

According to Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support: 2015, a report released by the U.S. Census Bureau every two years, there are approximately 13.6 million single parents in the United States today, and those parents are responsible for raising 22.4 million children.

Morris-Diehl divorced her ex wife when Elijah was 10 months old, and since then she feared never finding someone who would treat him as a family member.

She told Newsweek: “It is not easy coming into a family, but for me to have a true partnership with someone I wanted them to be an equal parent in my son’s life and I knew that would be difficult.

“Barbara and I dated long distance for a year and during that year Elijah and I took trips to New York every 2-3 weeks so she could really see what her life would be like dating a single mom.”

Morris-Diehl explained that her police officer wife went “above and beyond” all expectations and she “never hesitated” about being a parent.

“She was all in from the moment we started dating,” she told Newsweek.

So far, the video captioned: “Never settle when it comes to your children,” has racked up 109,500 likes and 1.3 million views.

Morris-Diehl told Newsweek: “Whatever your reason is for being a single mom, it’s important to not only date for yourself but for your children. If it’s not a right fit for your children then maybe it’s not a right fit for your family.

“Your children should be a priority to them and they should be coming in as a parent and not just a “step-parent”. If they don’t recognize your child as their child then it may create conflict and it’s important for everyone to feel like they have equal partnership and respect.”

It seems other TikTok users couldn’t agree more, one user wrote: “I am a single mum, if I remarry, they have to get the okay from my kiddos!!”

One said: “OK that made me cry. Congratulations.”

“This is spot on advice,” said another user.

If you have a family dilemma, let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.