Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley just hit a milestone every parent both dreads and dreams about: sending their firstborn off to college.

The couple’s oldest son, William Huckleberry, better known as Huck, has officially flown the nest. And while country superstar Brad might be out on his Truck Still Works World Tour, it was Kimberly who shared the moment with fans in the most touching way. Instead of just a photo from move-in day, she dug up a handwritten note Huck gave her ten years ago when he was just seven years old.

Written in shaky kid handwriting, the note read: “com visit me in calij love Huck. You promes.” Dated September 22, 2014, it was the kind of childhood treasure that parents tuck away and can’t quite let go of. And now, here they are a decade later, living out the promise.

Kimberly posted the note on Instagram with the caption: “I promes I promes I promes ” Fans immediately flooded the comments with tears, heart emojis, and their own stories of dropping kids off at college. It’s the universal ache of parenting, raising them right just to watch them leave.

Brad and Kimberly have always been fiercely protective of their boys’ privacy. Huck, now 18, and his younger brother Jasper, 16, rarely appear online, and when they do, their parents keep their faces out of frame. But this glimpse into Huck’s heart as a child and now as a young man stepping into the world was too special not to share.

It also hits harder knowing how close the family is. Brad has said countless times that fatherhood reshaped him. “It’s to have your heart go walking around without you,” he once explained. “I’m no longer concerned about my safety; I’m concerned for two other human beings’ safety, and it makes you that much deeper as a human being.” For Kimberly, who has battled health struggles like a partially paralyzed vocal cord in recent years, her boys have been her rock. “My kids were great cheerleaders for me,” she said in 2024. “They made me feel less alone.”

So, for Huck to step into this new chapter, it’s not just his journey, it’s the whole family’s. A college send-off isn’t just about packing dorm supplies and buying ramen noodles. It’s about watching the little boy who scribbled notes in crayon become the man who keeps those promises alive.

For Brad and Kimberly, it’s bittersweet. They’re proud, they’re teary, and they’re no doubt hanging on to that note tighter than ever. Huck might be miles away, but thanks to that message written in 2014, his mom has a constant reminder that he once asked her to “com visit.” And knowing these two parents, she absolutely will.

As fans continue cheering Brad on at sold-out shows and watching Kimberly shine on Farmer Wants a Wife, the Paisleys are proving that no matter how big the stage or the spotlight, family moments like this are what matter most. Huck’s journey into college life marks a new season for the Paisleys, but that sweet little note makes it clear that promises between parents and kids last forever.