At a Glance
- Meredith Thornton keeps her phone on every night after her eldest earned a driver’s license.
- A string of missed calls from her 18-year-old son almost triggered a panic.
- The video of the scare went viral, racking up over 3 million views.
- Why it matters: It shows how a simple phone habit can save lives and how a mix-up can turn into a viral story.
Meredith Thornton, 54, of Arkansas, has never taken a night without her phone in reach. The habit began when her eldest got a driver’s license and has helped her handle real emergencies over the years.
The Night Calls
When Thornton woke up, she was met with back-to-back missed calls from her son Van. She recalled the shock:
Meredith Thornton says:
> ‘My world stopped. My heart stopped. What made it worse was the timing. He gets off work around 11:30 at night, and those calls came about an hour later. It lined up with something terrible, like a car wreck, or a mental health issue.’
She was paralyzed with anxiety but managed to check on Van. He was fast asleep in his bedroom, safe and unhurt.
Meredith Thornton adds:
> ‘He mumbled something about texting me. When I checked my phone, there was a message from Van. He needed a Microsoft code that had been sent to my email.’
The “emergency” was a simple code for a game, not a crisis.
The Viral Video
Thornton posted a video recounting the ordeal, and it quickly amassed over 3 million views. Comments ranged from panic to humor:
- ‘Girl!! 11 messages from my son asking about Roblox code and I’m thinking he been kidnapped,’ one person wrote.
- ‘I was legitimately on a stage speaking to over 300 people. I keep my phone on silent, but I use it to know the time. My son called eleven times in a row. I apologized to the audience and turned my mic off and took the call. ‘Can I spend 7 dollars on roblox.’ Thank God it was all teachers.’
- ‘What about the text messages that just say….MOM followed by absolutely nothing else.’
- ‘Ooooh I get those. Heart attack city.’
- ‘This happened to me last weekend. And my kids were calling because A BEAR WAS OUTSIDE THEIR TENT.’
Thornton said she was too relieved to be angry at Van for giving her a scare, especially over something as silly as a passcode. She added:
Meredith Thornton says:
> ‘Kids today are up all night. I think they forget that some of us actually sleep!’
Key Takeaways
- A simple phone habit can prevent missed emergencies.
- A mix-up over a Microsoft code almost triggered a panic.
- The story went viral, showing how personal moments resonate online.
The incident reminds parents that staying reachable can save lives, and that a small mistake can become a widely shared story.
This story first appeared on News Of Fort Worth.
