“Responsibility, commitment, and discipline.” That’s the way to describe 8-year-old Colombian boy Daniel Santiago Diosa Pulido, who proved that good ole’ family values don’t necessarily have to stand in the way of fun, light-heartedness, and kindness.
If you’ve ever been late to school, especially on your parent’s dime, who check on your grades, you’ll know how teachers react upon tardiness. Oh, how many hours in detention have we spent just for not being on time? When a ‘Despierta Bogota’ journalist stopped Daniel on his way to school at 6:25 A.M., he never expected the segment to go as viral as it did.
La importancia de la puntualidad. Este niño nos dio una gran lección hoy en #DespiertaBogotá, el programa de las mañanas de @CanalCapital pic.twitter.com/PSDbu3Kv31
— Yesid Lancheros (@YesidLancheros) October 23, 2017
During the short exchange between journalist Diego Heredia and Daniel, they start talking about school and his uniform. Then, Heredia has the audacious idea of asking Diego “are you late or are you still on time?” Daniel then, bright-eyed, asks the reporter, “What time is it?”
When he learns it is 6:25 A.M. he shouts “I’m late” and immediately runs off, leaving behind his alleged girlfriend who was patiently waiting by his side during the interview. Surprised by the child’s innocence, Heredia and his colleagues back in the studio burst into laughter.
https://twitter.com/Jaco1984/status/923574632183103489
The adorable morning show’s segment quickly went viral, mostly because of how relatable the situation was. Heredia knew then that this oh so special moment needed some reaffirming closure, so he returned to Daniel’s school in order to conduct a proper interview.
On Wednesday, Heredia contacted Daniel’s mom and she just so happened to be as charming as her son, and their video quickly went viral, as well. Not only was Daniel’s moment relatable in such a profound human level, but the interview with the mother also resonated among housewives all across Latin America.
¡El niño del año! Esta es la historia de Daniel Santiago, quien se convirtió en tendencia por su reacción para llegar temprano al colegio→ pic.twitter.com/U9zcxj0RXH
— Capital (@CanalCapital) October 25, 2017
In the following segment, we find out why Heredia chose to interview Daniel in the first place. While he was reporting the news to the people of Bogota, Daniel was standing a few yards behind him in a barren soccer field, just happily dancing life away.
As the young Colombian student started running away, his colleagues advised Heredia about the child’s antics, so Heredia turned around to call Daniel into the scene. After Daniel found out the time and ran off, Heredia felt that he was cheated of the best interview of his career, but it wasn’t until he met Daniel’s mother that he realized that the little boy’s classes started at 6:30 A.M.
Me ha gustado, por que esos son los niños de Colombia, alegres , vivos, picaros … pero responsables. Excelente lección a los adultos.
— Gratiniano.es (@JuanGratiniano) October 26, 2017
“I think you could have dedicated some two minutes,” Heredia tells Daniel after he managed to get ahold of him when his classes were done. “Life is unfair,” replied Daniel, making his mom and the whole ‘Despierta Bogota’ crew laugh out loud once more.
Article inspired by Remezcla // This Little Boy Realizing He’s Late to School on Live TV Is Precious