Artavia Lafrance tells PEOPLE her daughter, Amora, designed and made her own Valentine’s Day box, from cutting hearts to choosing princess stickers
Artavia Lafrance
NEED TO KNOW
- A mom’s TikTok about her daughter’s handmade Valentine’s box resonated with millions
- The 4-year-old designed and built the project largely on her own in about an hour
- After initial doubt at school, classmates’ praise helped restore her confidence
It was supposed to be a simple preschool Valentine’s Day tradition, but when one mom realized the classroom standard included castles and dinosaurs, she watched her daughter carry in something far more personal: a box built entirely by her own small hands.
The tender moment, later shared on TikTok, captured the quiet pride and vulnerability of a 4-year-old determined to make something herself.
“Amora honestly knew exactly what she wanted from the beginning,” Artavia Lafrance tells PEOPLE, describing how her daughter chose pink construction paper and princess stickers before carefully designing every detail around them. She says her daughter glued down the paper, cut out hearts, added flowers and even placed blue paper behind her name so it would stand out.
@simplyartavia People were bringing in castles and dinosaurs. I didn’t know it was like THAT. But babygirl made her own box… cut out her hearts, wrote her name, glued down every little piece. I was so proud of her 🥹 She ended the day happy and proud of herself. We’ll go all out for kindergarten. #valentinedayspecial #valentinesdiy #valentinesbox #valentinescraft #momsoftiktok
♬ What Dreams Are Made Of – Hilary Duff
The process unfolded at home after a trip to the store, where Amora picked out each element of the craft. “Once we got home, it probably took about an hour,” Lafrance says, recalling how focused her daughter was as she worked slowly to make sure everything looked just right.
Watching that level of ownership emerge in someone so young became the heart of the experience for the mom behind the viral post. “It meant so much to see her take ownership, make her own choices and bring her ideas to life,” she says, adding that she felt deeply proud seeing her daughter independent and confident in what she was creating.
But the moment that stayed with her most came later, inside the classroom, when Amora set her handmade box among larger, more elaborate ones. Lafrance recalls that her daughter quietly compared them and even wondered aloud if hers was “okay,” a fleeting hesitation that revealed how quickly children begin measuring themselves against others.
Despite that doubt, Amora placed her creation alongside the rest. “It was one of those real, tender moments where you see how aware 4-year-olds already are,” Lafrance says.
The story did not end there, though, because what followed helped reshape how the child saw her own work. Lafrance says classmates told Amora they liked the colors and princess stickers, and her teacher made sure to point out that she had made the box herself.
artavia lafrance
That recognition restored something visible by the time the school day ended. Lafrance says her daughter talked afterward about how her friends liked the design, and she could see her confidence return in her work.
The TikTok post, paired with Lafrance’s caption about her daughter making every piece herself, resonated with viewers. For the mom, though, the moment was never about viral attention so much as witnessing growth in real time.
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Looking ahead, she hopes to protect and nurture the same creative courage she saw at the kitchen table that afternoon. “I want to keep reminding her that effort matters more than perfection,” Lafrance says, adding that she plans to give her daughter space to create in her own way while celebrating her bravery and creativity along the way.
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