Mom Who Spent the Night in Daughter's Dorm Reacts to Criticism: 'Focusing on the Positive' (Exclusive)

'I wore my heart on my sleeve by posting that, hoping it would inspire them to do something similar," Lori Miggins tells PEOPLE exclusively of the viral video

• When Lori Miggins learned her daughter Taylor's college move-in date was a week earlier than the rest of the school, she got the idea to have a sleepover in her dorm

• Taylor loved the idea and wanted to spend as much time with her mom as possible before parting ways

• Lori, an avid social media user, captured the moment on camera, which went viral, garnering over 70,000 views and sparking a divide in the comments over whether Lori had crossed the line

Lori Miggins is extremely close with her three kids. So, when it was time for the North Carolina mom to drop off her oldest daughter, Taylor, at Appalachian State University, emotions began to rush in.

When Lori learned that Taylor's move-in date was a week earlier than everyone else's, including her roommate's, due to her involvement with the cheer team, she came up with an idea to ease the transition for both of them. Lori, 48, decided she and Taylor, 18, would drive up in separate cars and spend the night together in the dorm. The move-in date also happened to fall on Lori’s birthday, adding a special touch to the occasion.

She shared the idea with her husband, Robert, who thought it was a great plan. "You’ll have more time to move furniture around, do all the things, and I’ll see you the next day," she recalls him saying. So, that's exactly what Lori and Taylor did.

"I was like, wow, you're going to be here alone; if you want me to spend the night, I can," Lori tells PEOPLE exclusively, recalling the conversation with her daughter. "Then I talked to the roommate and the roommate's parents, and they were like, 'Yeah, absolutely. No problem.' They didn’t think anything of it."

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Throughout their dorm sleepover, Lori, an avid social media user, captured the moment on camera and, with her daughter's support, posted a Reel to Instagram. To their surprise, the video went viral, garnering over 3 million views, 77,000 likes and sparking a debate in the comments over whether Lori had crossed the line.

"It’s funny because I videoed that little blurb right before we went to bed, thinking maybe I’d do something with it one day," she adds. "Then I made a Reel, and it went crazy."

"I wore my heart on my sleeve by posting that, hoping it would help someone else or inspire them to do something similar," she continues. "Or maybe they just want to have a sleepover in their own house, in the child's room the night before they leave. You don’t have to be at the college dorm to experience that moment."

"And it just blows me away with the negativity. People didn’t even read what happened; they’re just jumping to conclusions. I’m focusing on the positive."

Looking back on the night she spent in the dorm, Lori says it was "awesome." Growing up, she and Taylor traveled a lot for cheerleading, so the sleepover felt like they were back at a competition. They spent the whole day setting up the room, running errands to pick up forgotten items and enjoying a nice dinner.

By the time they finished everything on move-in day, the two were exhausted and went straight to bed. Taylor slept in her bed, while Lori settled into the roommate's bed on the other side of the room, which she had covered with a sheet. The next day the two spent the day walking around campus and even took a trip to the dining hall together before parting ways.

"I just said to her, 'You’ll probably remember this night for the rest of your life. This is pretty cool what we’re doing right now,'" Lori recalls their conversation before bed. "'This is going to be one of those moments you’ll tell your kids about. You only go to college once. You only have your first night once, and it’s pretty cool.'"

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Being on the other side of things now, Lori says no advice could truly prepare someone for how hard it is to say goodbye to their child at college. Since dropping off her daughter, Lori and Taylor have talked and texted every day. Lori loves hearing about Taylor's adjustment to campus life and her new routine.

But while Lori will always cherish her sleepover and memories of moving her daughter into college, there was one thing she says she wasn't prepared for.

"The mattress was so uncomfortable because she brought all the bedding, the pillows, and the mattress topper that they tell you to get, and I’m literally on a sheet and a blanket on the mattress," Lori explains. "I’m like, whoa, this is bad. It justifies the expense, though."

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