Megan Clark’s daughter was in for a real treat!
Mom of three Clark previously went viral on TikTok for posting about the heartwarming relationship her young kids have with their older neighbors since the family moved to the suburbs of Nashville. And now, in a new clip uploaded to the app, her followers can’t get enough of the families’ latest interaction.
As seen in the video, Clark captures the moment she catches her 83-year-old neighbor, Arthur “Buddy” Brister, purchasing her 22-month-old daughter Kate’s favorite foods in the supermarket: corn on the cob, grapes — and, of course, ice cream.
During an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Clark explained why the supermarket run-in was such a funny coincidence and shared the reasoning behind the surprise purchases Buddy was determined to make for her baby girl.
For background, Clark explained why her family’s bond with Buddy and his wife Brenda is so special, revealing that she doesn’t have a lot of relatives who live in the area. While she said her parents “are fantastic,” she noted they are “five hours away” and her in-laws live “10 hours away.”
Furthermore, Clark’s husband “travels half the year” because he’s an artist for a living — therefore, Buddy and Brenda have stepped in to help out when needed. “I was by myself for the first five years that I was a mom and I didn’t have anybody to help,” Clark recalled.
In the case of the recent viral video, Clark had to go to the supermarket, so she asked Brenda to watch Kate while she completed the errand. While the neighbors go to the same grocery store “all the time” because it’s two blocks from their homes, Clark didn’t think she’d see Buddy there this time, figuring he’d be hanging with Brenda and Kate.
When Clark spotted him, “He was super surprised because he was trying to hide from me, but then we ended up in the same check-out line,” she recalled with a laugh. “He was like, ‘Don’t look at what I’m buying!’ “
Buddy’s reason for hiding his purchases? “Every day they feed her ice cream,” Clark said of Buddy and Brenda’s favorite treat for Kate. “That’s why he was giggling … because he knew that I didn’t approve of it. He was going over there anyways. He didn’t care.”
Buddy and his wife Brenda with Megan Clark’s little girl, Kate.
Megan Clark
Clark said that she errs “on the healthier side” when it comes to snacks for Kate — but as for Buddy, she said, “He’s for sure a spoiler!”
But sweets aside, “Everyday, they cook Kate her favorite foods,” Clark added. “She eats mac and cheese, corn on the cob and green beans every day.”
Clark said the corn in Buddy’s hands gave his secret purchases away. “I knew who he’s getting it for,” she said of the moment that prompted her to turn on her camera and record the cute interaction.
“If she says she wants it, she knows it’s going to show up,” she added of Buddy and Brenda’s loving gestures toward her youngest. “They got her a pool for their house — and the ice cream, she just expects that it’s there.”
Though the spoiling doesn’t always sync with Clark’s preferred parenting style, “We love them,” she said, adding, “They truly do feel like an extension of our family.”
“We don’t have family and friends close, so to have people that truly treat your kids like your own, you can’t explain that,” Clark said. “That’s irreplaceable.”
