She Asked Her Late Son for a Sign He Could Still Hear Her. Then He Responded

When Tara Stilwell posted a short video on TikTok as her baby napped on her chest, she had no idea it would strike a chord with millions of people.

The video — now with over seven million views — was shared “on a whim,” as Stilwell opened up about a deeply personal moment: the time she asked her late six-year-old son, Wilder, for a sign that he could still hear her after his passing.

“I had just read the book called Signs, it’s a pretty common book people read directly after losing someone they love,” she explained. “It says to be really specific about what you ask for.”

So, she chose something that reminded her of Wilder: a red Lego. She asked to see one “in a place where it didn’t belong.”

Later that day, while waiting during her daughter’s ballet class, Stilwell noticed a family she’d never seen before. She began a casual chat with the mother and learned they were only at that particular class for a makeup session. The woman’s son, she recalls, wore a shirt identical to one Wilder used to own.

Then, unexpectedly, the boy walked over and silently placed a single red Lego in her hand. Stilwell teared up but tried to hide her reaction so as not to alarm the mother or the child.

The moment, which she detailed on TikTok, triggered thousands of emotional responses, with many viewers sharing their own stories of receiving “signs” from loved ones.

Speaking with PEOPLE, Tara reflected on the outpouring of support: “People have messaged me saying they felt inspired and they got a sign and it’s just snowballed into this really beautiful thing.”

Stilwell lost her son nearly four years ago, and she said the video came from a moment of reflection. “I was just thinking about how far we’ve come and how many moments I’ve had where I’ve felt connected to him and that just came out,” she shared.

In a follow-up video, she spoke about the bittersweet experience of hearing her son’s name spoken again by strangers online. “I don’t get to say Wilder’s name in the same way that I used to,” she said. “I’m no longer referenced as Wilder’s mom. For just a second, I felt like Wilder’s mom again.”

She told PEOPLE, “It feels so incredible to hear strangers saying my son’s name. But he like brought all these people together and it just is a testament of how special he was and continues to be.”

Stilwell says she still feels close to Wilder through dreams, memories, and unexpected moments — like that red Lego. The encounter at the ballet studio has stayed with her.

“Our logical brain wants to kind of explain it away. And my logical brain can’t explain it away,” she said. “It does not make sense. The fact that I had been breaking down and talking to him and asking for a very specific sign that I felt resonated with him, and then mere hours later, a stranger is not only wearing the same shirt that my son owns. He wasn’t even playing with Legos — he was playing with cars.”

Now living back in her hometown near family, Tara says she’s found new meaning and connection — including a renewed relationship with someone from her past. She believes Wilder played a part in bringing that person into her life.

“I truly believe that Wilder was like, okay, I’m gonna send somebody your way to like hold your hand through it,” she said.

According to Tara, her partner once had a dream where he encountered Wilder. “It was when we first started seeing each other and he said that the dream took place at like the house we live at now. And he had like, walked outside and Wilder was standing there and said, ‘Who are you?’ And he introduced himself,” she recalled. “And then Wilder said, ‘Are you good?’ And my partner said, ‘I think, I think I’m good.’ And he said, ‘Okay, you can stay.’”

In the end, Stilwell hopes others can find peace and connection too. “In order to connect with your loved one, you have to sit in the pain,” she said. “If people can allow themselves to be vulnerable and sit with the discomfort, they can see the signs, they can feel connected to their loved one.”