Toddler’s sassy response to her mom’s disciplining proves she is daddy’s girl through and through

In a now-viral TikTok video, a mom tries the classic parenting trick, threatening to call dad to discipline their daughter for misbehaving. But instead of looking worried, the little girl cheekily smiles and mocks her mom, as if she is fully aware that her dad won’t lay down the law. In fact, she mocks the idea, knowing her dad’s response will probably be nothing more than a hug and a smile.

The clip posted by Shelbi, a mom-of-four who shares family life on her account @liifewithshelbi, captures her toddler’s reaction to being disciplined, which has the internet laughing and relating. The setup is simple as she sits in a car. Shelbi warns her daughter that she’s going to call the dad to report her mischief. But instead of looking guilty or concerned, the little one delivers a rapid-fire series of facial expressions that say she’s not worried in the slightest. On-screen, the video is captioned as, “POV: when you threaten her to call her daddy for her shenanigans but she clearly dgaf.” And she really doesn’t. Her smirks, raised eyebrows, and cheeky defiance make it clear that she knows exactly how this will go. Dad won't be angry. He’ll probably laugh, scoop her up, and tell her she’s adorable.

The video, which lasts just 5 seconds, has already drawn more than 1.4 million views and over 700 comments. Viewers can’t get enough of the toddler’s wildly expressive face and her fearless attitude. Many joked that she’s destined to be an “expression queen” when she grows up, especially in her teenage years. Others applauded the confidence and charm packed into such a tiny time frame. It wasn’t long before the comments section turned into a hilarious confessional of parents and some grown-up “former toddlers” who had their own tales of mock threats and backfired parenting tricks.

One user, @courtneeyjade, shared, “One time I used this threat and my daughter said ‘tell him I said hi and I miss him!’” Another parent, @Marilyn, chimed in with a story that had others howling, “I once told my niece that I’m going to call grandma and she said, ‘Call her, I’m not scared. Is she a monster?" The sass wasn’t limited to toddlers either. User @Jessica Christian hilariously observed, “The way she is mocking you for how you sounded to her saying you was calling him, and her not giving two damn.” Then there was @Celeste Fox, who shared her own experience, stating, “Once my mom tried to play this card and I said ‘why, so you can be told you’re wrong twice?’”

Healthy father-daughter relationships benefit both of them in the long term. Research shows that daughters with actively involved fathers tend to perform better academically, particularly in subjects like math and literacy. For instance, data from Child & Family Blog highlights that girls with present dads tend to earn higher grades, especially in math and reading, with father presence linked to a 1.5% increase in math scores and a 1.3% rise in reading. 

You can follow @parkersof6 on TikTok for more such videos.