As we’re busy trying to be good examples to our kids—while also trying not to spiral out of control with life’s daily dice-roll—it can be difficult to recognize when kids are reciprocating that behavior. But when we do notice it, the moment can be priceless.
One mom recently posted a TikTok showing herself receiving much-needed wisdom and encouragement from her daughter in real time. And it’s wholesome to watch.
The Empathetic Makeup Moment
In the video, the mom, who goes by the handle @namwilamulwanda is applying eye makeup. While it looks like she’s well into the process, she’s audibly annoyed at how it’s going. The text overlay reads, “I was trying a new look and didn’t have a lot of time. safe to say energy and frustration was high ☹️”
“What is it Mummy?” we hear her daughter ask off-camera, clearly picking up on mom’s vibes.
“I’ve messed it up I think,” mom responds as she tries to forge ahead with the makeup. (Isn’t that just how we do? Forge ahead, even though we see the cliff.)
But her daughter, unfazed, immediately responds with, “It’s okay, Mummy.” From this point on, we witness a sweet and poignant display of empathy, humility, and validation.
As mom attempts to describe her frustrations, her daughter interrupts by saying, “Sometimes things do mess up and that’s okay,” and adds, “You can always probably try it again.”
We can tell mom hears this, but it hasn’t quite sunk in. More text overlay appears, explaining that her daughter knows she’s not responsible for managing mom’s emotions, but she’s always empathetic.
Meanwhile, her daughter continues, “When I get bigger one day I can try to do my make up.” Mom finishes the thought with, “And then if you mess up, then you try again?” to which her daughter answers, “Yeah…I ask someone for help and dance.”
Mom, smiling at this point, asks, “Should we have a little dance before I continue?”
We then watch a cathartic mom-and-daughter dance session with a text overlay that reads, “Would 100% recommend dancing frustration out, as silly as you can be lol.”
The video concludes with a final shot of the finished eye makeup on what looks like a very happy mom—while the two continue dancing in the background and share a big hug.
There’s Nothing Like Good Fruit From Good Parenting Seeds
If you had one or two audible (or internal) “Awww” moments at that mother-daughter exchange, you’re not alone. The comments on the TikTok are full of affirmation for both the empathetic daughter and the mom who was humble enough to listen.
One person writes, “Awwww you can be proud, you parented the right way ❤️.” Another adds, “Aw she’s like a little coach ❤️my daughter does this with me. She’s 4 ❤️.”
Many commenters praise the gentle parenting win, with comments like, “the gentle parenting loop 😭 you’re both amazing, this was so sweet 💕,” and “This is how you know gentle parenting works it’s ingrained in her, so it’s her natural reaction to react like this when she sees people (you) struggling.”
Indeed, it’s the ultimate reward to see good fruit from the seeds we try to plant during parenting. There’s so much that feels like it will yield rotten fruit, and it’s easy to get discouraged by not being perfect.
But when we have the opportunity to turn down the volume on our frustrations and really receive what our kids try to give us, the harvest of encouragement can last a long time.
