Moms are divided over this one. Sure, the kid can't read her mother's message, but she can grow up and see the viral video!
By Hawthorn Martin — Written on Apr 21, 2023
Every parent knows that raising a little one, especially a toddler, isn’t always perfect smiles and laughter. A lot of times, it’s also frustration, sleepless nights, and chaos.
It can be exhausting to keep up with, especially if support from a partner or family is limited, and some parents end up looking for ways to express their feelings without taking them out on their child.
One mom, however, seems to have found a middle ground.
This mom shows how she pranked her two-year-old daughter by spelling out an insulting message in her food.
With millions of views, and tens of thousands of comments streaming in from every corner of the web, the video quickly took the internet by storm.
Emmy Lou, a Tik Tok user, primarily fills her account with content regarding her crafting hobbies and projects, and her day to day life with her toddler, named Moonbeam.
In the video that went viral, Emmy filmed herself bringing her daughter a tray of food for a snack, complete with vegetables, fish sticks, juice, and alphabet potatoes spelling out “u piss me off”.
The daughter, oblivious, and unable to read the words, coos happily at the meal and immediately digs in.
“Is that nice?” The mom asks, and her daughter babbles an answer.
Although the message in her fries says one thing, the mom’s description on the video reads another, saying: “love her really.”
Moms in the comments are split over the decision.
To some, it is a harmless expression of frustration, perhaps after a particularly stressful day, and one that can’t hurt her child who literally cannot read the message.
Others see it as a bad move, since it reflects poorly on the mom’s self control and her attitude towards her child.
One user wrote: “that's...kinda mean. Just because she can't read doesn't mean anything. The adult, her mom, still put that on her plate.”
Another agreed, saying: “Children deserve respect just like adults. If her mom does this to her for a few likes, it will be the same way she treats others.”
These comments and thousands of others show how uncomfortable people are with Emmy’s joke. Many think her decision to leave the message in her daughter’s food is an immature one.
Others point out that the daughter might not be able to read the message now, but that doesn’t mean she won’t ever be able to read it. By immortalizing it online, there’s a good chance she’ll see it someday.
One user joked: “Something to show her on her 21st.” And another pointed out that, due to how viral the video has gone, it might not take that long. “She might find it before then ... it'll be all over [the] internet and she's likely to be reading before she's 21!”
Others, however, think the joke is just that: a joke.
One user wrote: “Day made, never laughed so hard cause the struggle is real.” Another commented: “That kid is gonna grow up with the best humor.”
Many seem to think that Emmy’s expression of frustration is brilliant. It is relatively harmless, since her child isn’t able to understand the message, and it is still delivered in a snack that the child gets to enjoy.
Her mom is also very kind to her with her voice. If this is the compromise she chooses to make instead of yelling or getting aggressive with her kid when frustrated, then what’s the real harm?
As some parents seem to agree: what else is there to do? Sometimes you just have to laugh off the harder days however you can.
Hawthorn Martin is a news and entertainment writer living in Texas. They focus on social justice, pop culture, and human interest stories.