The Rock made sure his mom’s 78th birthday was a full-blown family celebration, and he clearly wasn’t planning on sitting this one out. Dwayne Johnson shared several videos from the special day, including one pretty touching moment where he escorted his mother, Ata Johnson, for her traditional Samoan Taualuga.
Taking to Instagram, The Rock showed off several moments from the celebration as his mom danced, spent time with relatives and enjoyed herself surrounded by family. Johnson also joined his mother on the dance floor during the Taualuga, the traditional finale dance of the celebration. For Johnson, getting to share that moment with his mom meant a whole lot more than simply celebrating another birthday. He called it an honor to escort her for the dance.
“A son’s honor to escort his mom for her Samoan TAUALUGA – the finale dance – as we celebrated her 78th birthday 🤍🤎🇼🇸”
The Rock also thanked everyone who came together for Ata’s big day, describing everyone there as one family and one “AIGA.”
“Thank you to EVERYONE who joined us – as one family – one AIGA to celebrate, acknowledge and uplift Ata Maivia Fanene Fitisemanu Johnson.”
Johnson then got a little more personal about watching his mother get older. As her only child, he said he’s realized that one of his biggest responsibilities now is pretty simple — keep his mom smiling and make sure she’s enjoying life.
“As her only child, and son – here’s what I’ve come to know my #1 job is as she gets older – keep her happy. Create environments where it’s joy, fun, keep her smiling and keep her happy. That’s what we all should do for our loved ones getting older, because we never know what’s around the corner. So keep them happy.”
Of course, this is The Rock, so he wasn’t going to finish an emotional birthday tribute without getting one joke in. After telling his mom how much everyone loves her, Johnson hilariously apologized for failing to deliver one particular birthday request.
“Happy Birthday Mom ~ we love you and keep smiling 🤍🤎
Sorry you didn’t get the birthday pakalolo you wanted 😂😈🍃”
Between the Taualuga, dancing with relatives and simply having a good time with her family, Ata certainly looked like she got the kind of 78th birthday her son wanted to give her. For Johnson, the entire celebration seemed to come down to one thing — making sure his mom was happy while they still have these moments together.
What did you make of The Rock’s touching message while celebrating his mom Ata Johnson’s 78th birthday? Let us know what you think in the comments.
