By Melissa Fleur Afshar

Copyright newsweek

A heartfelt video tribute from a Utah mother to her new daughter-in-law has tugged at the heartstrings of viewers on Instagram, drawing admiration from thousands online.

Kelly Ballard, 48, who posts under @citygirlmeetsfarmboy, shared the now-viral video on September 10. Set to music and overlaid with words of praise, the reel features footage of her son’s wife in various scenes—on her wedding day, caring for animals on a farm, jet-skiing, walking along a beach, playing with dogs, graduating, and spending time in the couple’s new home. The post has been liked more than 10,500 times on the platform.

“I thought I was gaining a daughter-in-law,” an overlaid text on the clip read, “but in reality, we got an extremely hardworking, joyful and fun girl, who is brave and kind, and dedicated to education, who makes his life better and ours … She is so good to her mother-in-law, and her sister-in-law … She completes our son, and we just love her. I am so grateful he found her.”

The accompanying caption struck a chord with many viewers, especially people with children of their own. In the post, Ballard reflected on the common fear that marriage marks a moment when a son becomes more distant from his family.

Ballard’s son and wife embrace on their wedding day.

“So often as mothers our worry is a daughter-in-law ‘takes’ our son away. And the day they get married is the one when you lose him,” she wrote. “But what if that isn’t true? What if she doesn’t take anything away but completely ADDS to the family?”

Ballard, originally from California and now based in Utah, told Newsweek she never expected the post to resonate so widely.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kelly Ballard | Home | Family | DIY | Budget Deals (@citygirlmeetsfarmboy)

“My hope was that a few thousand of my followers would see it and have a feel-good moment about family dynamics,” she said. “I also hoped that it would be a light to those who are looking to marry or mothers who are having sons marry, so they could see that it doesn’t have to be negative like so often we think of it as.”

In the caption, Ballard emphasized the importance of inclusion, mutual respect and support in building relationships with new family members.

“As mothers-in-law, we can set a precedent for our new daughters-in-law as they start a new life combining what they had with what they have gained,” she wrote. “Often, it is up to us to create a space that is full of acceptance and grace.”

Ballard said that her decision to share more personal family content came after years of documenting do-it-yourself home improvement projects online.

What started as a personal challenge to master power tools and post weekly updates became a full-fledged business under the name CITYGIRLMEETSFARMBOY, inspired by her marriage to her husband Mike, who was raised on a farm in Montana. The couple have been married for 28 years.

“As my oldest son was preparing to get married, the @citygirlmeetsfarmboy community fell in love with the wedding plans, the wedding clothes, and the beautiful bride,” Ballard said. “I have felt strongly to share more about this new family dynamic in hopes of shedding a positive light on this topic.”

From left: Kelly Ballard poses for a headshot; and her son and his wife hold hands in their new home.

Ballard said the idea for the viral post came after seeing another creator write lovingly about her father-in-law. Ballard spent an afternoon gathering video clips of the happy couple and composing her message, which she shared with her son and daughter-in-law for approval before posting.

“Our communication is key in the relationship that we have,” Ballard said. “Often, as mothers, there is a negative emotion about losing your son to his wife and being left out of the picture, and many would tell me about how hard it is to have a daughter-in-law.

“When she joined our family two years ago, I chose to do all I could to make sure my relationship with my daughter-in-law is positive and healthy, knowing that I was twice her age and needed to make sure I set a precedent of love and safety for her.”

The comments on the post reflect its emotional reach. Ballard said she has been moved by positive messages from young women who “hope to get a relationship like this someday,” as well as from other mothers who say the video changed the way they view their own daughters-in-law.

“It has filled me up in so many ways and is inspiring me to continue to make family-positive content on my channel,” Ballard said.

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