Sometimes we need the reminder: the kids are all right. Having kids is no easy feat, and even when you’ve mastered skills like gentle parenting, we all have our days when we’ve reached our wit’s end. In a trending video on TikTok, A six-year-old boy was caught on the home camera giving his dad a pep talk after a hard day of parenting.
“After a 2.5-hour temper tantrum from the three-year-old, all of our nerves were shot,” The video began. “Here’s how our six-year-old handled it.”
The video, which is recording the dining table area of the home, shows the six-year-old sitting at the table alone while taking deep breaths in silence, with his hands in prayer formation at the chest. In the background, you can hear his younger sibling having a tantrum for the ages.
His dad comes over, looking completely defeated, and asks, “Are you doing ok, buddy?” as he sits across from him at the table. “Yes,” the boy answers.
At this point, dad drops his head into his hands in despair, saying, “Oh my god,” and his son responds, “I think we should take some deep breaths together.”
Any frustrated parent could easily brush this suggestion off and carry on with their sour mood, but his dad instead opens himself up to the exercise, and they both begin to take deep breaths together. After a few breaths, the dad repeats, “Oh my god,” in a sigh of relief, and adds, “Thank you, Daniel, you’re right.”
There’s something really magical about letting our children take the lead sometimes, and in this case, what happens next is what makes this interaction so heartwarming.
“She’s crazy,” Daniel comments, in what sounds like a reference to his moody little sister, and dad responds, “I’m sorry, buddy, [for] losing my cool. Mommy and I keep trying to do better, set a better example, it’s just, this stuff gets frustrating.”
Daniel immediately gets up from the table and walked over to his dad, saying, “Hey, Dad, It’s okay,” before giving his dad a big hug. Melting into the embrace, his dad gushes, “You are the best little guy in the world. Do you know how much I love you?”
And now I am ugly crying, my god.
Followers on TikTok were equally not okay, commenting things like, “This has me literally sobbing at 2 am,” and “This is why you’re good parents. Your older child can regulate his emotions and [be] empathetic. That’s amazing at any age, and you did that.”
The conversation on the post heavily focused on one thing: this child is compassionate because his parents showed him how, so big kudos to this dad.
Sometimes parents think it’s better to have a poker face with their kids, but when you’re honest with how you’re feeling, it provides an opportunity for connection, like Daniel and his dad.
