‘It’s okay to cry.’ A video captures a new dad consoling his son at a doctor’s visit

Antwon Lee had no idea he was about to become a viral example of fatherhood when he gave his two-month-old son a pep talk during a visit to the doctor.

“Stay strong,” Antwon tells his son, Debias, as he holds the infant during a checkup.

“Now you’re going to get a shot,” he tells the infant. “You’re going to be good. I know you’re going to cry. It’s okay to cry.”

“I feel your pain,” he says, holding his son’s hand as Debias begins to cry while the shot’s administered. “I know, I know.”

Antwon cradles Debias until he calms down and they prepare to leave. Antwon told Fox8 that his own father had died earlier that day.

The Facebook video of Antwon and Debias, posted Thursday, has had 14 million views and 199,000 likes, along with tens of thousands of comments and shares by Wednesday morning. The video also sparked stories on “Good Morning America” and other outlets.

“I really appreciate all the love everyone has shown with the video of Debias,” Antwon wrote in a later Facebook post. “Thank y’all for the likes and shares.”

This story was originally published November 1, 2017 at 10:50 AM with the headline "‘It’s okay to cry.’ A video captures a new dad consoling his son at a doctor’s visit."