A single mom's photo of her 1-year-old son hugging her on her graduation day is the cutest thing you'll see on the internet this week. That's because we all know that single moms work hard in more ways than one, and no one knows that better than Soncya Williams. Soncya is a single mom from Nashville, Tennessee, who recently shared a photo of her son hugging her as she graduated from college back in 2014. Her son, now 7, was just a toddler at the time, but he was holding a sweet sign in support of his mother. Now the photo of Soncya's sweet moment with her son is showing moms how important all their hard work is.
In the picture, Williams is wearing her cap and gown and embracing her little boy Elijah, who is holding a sign that reads, "She did it for me!" While the image was snapped a few years ago, it recently started making the rounds on social media.
It also grabbed the attention of Good Morning America, which reached out to Soncya for comments about her journey. "My goal ultimately was to graduate. But after finding out I was expecting [a child], I didn't want it to keep me from reaching my goals," she told the outlet. "If anything, he inspired me to keep going. This photo is a reminder, 'I did it for you then and I'm going to continue to do it for you now.'"
Soncya, now 28, told GMA that she found out she was pregnant while attending Lemoyne-Owen College in Memphis. In preparation for having her baby, she took summer classes. That would help her be able to take a break once her son arrived.
Then she moved in with her mother to save money. But she had to give up a lot. She had a full ride to Lemoyne-Owen, but she knew she couldn't continue going there. So she transferred to Tennessee State University. That way, she could be closer to Nashville, where she had a support system, which, as moms know — especially single moms — is crucial.
"That was a trying time for me," she said. "Now I'm having to pay for school, pay for a little boy. It was a matter of my trying to figure out, 'How can I get this done?'" It likely seemed close to impossible at the time. But this brave mom didn't give up.
"I was fearful," she said. "I was fearful of the way people would look at me because I [was a mother and] wasn't married. I was fearful of men not wanting to be with me because I had a child." She definitely had a lot of worries to overcome, but Soncya was able to see past them and keep her focus.
She graduated, earning a bachelor's degree in business administration with a hospitality concentration. Of course, as we can see in the photo, her son was there to show his love and appreciation for his mom. Obviously, the picture is still incredibly special to Soncya. She shared it recently on her Instagram, and it got picked up by another account, Working Momkind, an account that shares pictures of working moms and highlights the hard work of those special women. It now has 3,500 likes.
Soncya's emotional post reads, "Today is the day I step out on faith and host my second event for MOMllennials," which is a new community project for mothers Soncya recently started. "My child, it is because of your presence that God blessed me with this vision."
She continues: "I type this with tears in my eyes because at one point, out of fear, I questioned keeping you. Once you were born, I questioned how other people would view me having a child out of wedlock. As a single parent even to this day, I question if your presence is apart of what keeps me single. In the past I‘be been guilty of hiding you because I thought I’d lose friendships and potential relationships because 'Men' DONT want to date women with a child."
But then she begins to shed light on how her perspective has begun to shift. "Most recently I keep you close. We are a package deal. And truth be told I would not be the woman I am today with out you!!!"
"My joy, my vision, my courage to keeping going comes from you," she went on. "And any relationship or friendship I have that does not embrace me AND you is a relationship I do not need. It took mommy a while to learn that, so I say all that to say this I STILL DO IT FOR YOU!!!!! Thank you for loving me just the way I am," she wrote.
Soncya's message is so sweet, and it's inspiring single moms everywhere. Not only because of the adorable picture of her and her son, but because of their close connection. It's clear they are definitely a team and their love and support for one another is crucial for their future success. Soncya definitely seems to have an amazing appreciation for her young son, and as we can see from the photo when he was just a toddler, he has it for his mother, as well.
