Texas mom goes viral for adorable back-to-school T-shirt tradition

A Texas mom is going viral after sharing photos of an adorable back-to-school tradition between her and her 5-year-old son.

Carina Cansino, who lives in Dallas, posted the images Monday in a Twitter thread that has now been retweeted more than 32,000 times.

"Let's begin the first year of elementary," her first tweet said.

Cansino explained that the tradition involves an oversize white T-shirt she made for her son, Gus. The 5-year-old, who will graduate high school in 2032, is far too small for the shirt now — but someday, she hopes, he'll grow into it.

The front of the shirt says "Class of 2032," while the back has a spot for every year until then. Each year, Cansino and Gus place an imprint of his painted hand under the current year, showing just how much he's grown.

This is only Gus's second year following the tradition, so he's got plenty of spots left to fill. Cansino made the shirt last year when her son started pre-K.

"The concept is that every year on the first day we take a picture of him in it, and by his senior year he will fit in the shirt and we'll get to go through every school year photo and watch his growth," Cansino tweeted.

Cansino said she was just 15 years old when she had Gus and that she's been a single mom for several years. She said the goal of the project is to give her and her son something to bond over when he's fully grown.

"I wanted something that my son and I could enjoy not just now, but when he becomes an adult. I’m a sucker for keepsakes and sentimental valuables, so I know this would be perfect," Cansino told Insider. "I know one day we’ll both look back at all the photos and cherish all the great memories. It's the best part of being a mom."

Cansino tweeted that she plans to start selling the shirts so other moms can join in. In the meantime, she said she wants to tell her son how popular their back-to-school tradition has gotten.

"Gotta go home and tell my 5yr old he’s famous," she tweeted Monday. "What a great first day of school!"