Babies brighten the day at Brighton senior living home

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- A Wake County mom with a new baby wanted to do something with her daughter to make a positive impact in their world, and she found it at a senior living facility.

ABC11 tagged along to the Zumba class at Brighton Senior Living Facility in Raleigh. A few weeks ago, babies starting showing up to the class, as well.

"The children- they love to run around and party, which is great because the residents love to watch them do that," said Christina Hobbs.

Hobbs started a 'Mommy and Me' volunteer group on Facebook to organize events like this.

"For the moms and anyone raising their children, we all have the same goal: to teach our children the positive impact they can have," Hobbs explained.

For residents like Mary Knapp, these visits bring life.

"They're just adorable, they just make you feel younger," Knapp beamed.

Many of the residents at Brighton don't get a lot of visitors.

"All of my babies live far away," explained Knapp. "I don't have a chance to even coddle them and play with them like I'd like to. Just to hold them and play with them, it's been a long time for me."

It's a perfect partnership. These residents were once young moms and dads themselves, with new little ones to play with and hold. These young moms are planning playdates in an unexpected place with people who just might understand them best.

"They know what it's like to raise children and us moms, we get overwhelmed with it. So they're a great way to bring us back down to earth and say, 'it's going to be OK. I've been there. It's only going to get better," Hobbs said.

The volunteer Mommy and Me group meets at Brighton Gardens every two weeks.