"I'll rise unafraid": Mom leaps into action when daughter freezes on stage
There's a leading contender for Mother of the Year -- along with the supporting evidence in the form of a viral video that has racked up more than 7 million views.
When Makayla Ferrell, 10, began singing Andra Day's anthem "Rise Up" at her school talent show, her mom, Shaye Washington sat nervously in the audience.
But about a minute in, Makayla's voice faded.
"I just forgot because I was nervous to, like, even sing anymore," Makayla said.
"I was like, 'Uh-oh it looks like she's about to have a meltdown or have a breakdown.' And I don't want her to feel defeated ... so that's when I just stepped in to help her going."
"I'll rise unafraid," Shaye Washington sang as her daughter found her voice.
At my daughter's talent show last night, this young lady got scared and stopped singing. What her mom (Shaye Washington) did, had me in tears and i cry every time i watch it. <3 To the mom and daughter in this video: thank you for showing us all something so beautiful, and inspirational. In my eyes you won the talent show <3 #riseup For licensing, please contact licensing@viralhog.com
Posted by Rhonda Whitney on Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Shaye was asked what the song meant to her.
"It means a lot. It means perseverance," she told CBS News. "Before I moved to Colorado ... that was one of the songs that helped me push on."
The family having a hard time adjusting to a place so far from the home they'd known in Georgia.
Shaye wrote on Facebook that "sometimes I am hard on myself as a mom. And I think I'm not doing enough."
Her daughter responded.
"I think she does everything for me. She gets everything for me," Makayla said. "Sometimes I feel like ... I don't say ... don't act like I'm thankful, but I want to be more thankful and thank her."