Tweet of 9-year-old couple saying tearful goodbye goes viral

LOUISIANA -- A high schooler in Louisiana captured an emotional moment between her 9-year-old sister and her "boyfriend" before he moved away with his family.

The high schooler tweeted three photos of the tearful embrace.

The boy's father, Glen Meynardie, explained on Twitter that the boy and girl grew up together and have been calling each other "girlfriend" and "boyfriend" for a long time.

"(They) have been BFF since they could walk," he wrote.

The post about the young lovebirds has gone viral with the tweet being shared more than 44,000 times.