A toddler had the most adorable and unexpected of reactions to finding his older sister upset.
Bedtime can be a fractious period of the day for any parent of young children. Earlier this year, a study by the University of Michigan found that around 1 in 4 parents describe getting their young child to go to bed as difficult.
Having two children adds a whole extra layer of stress to these nighttime proceedings. But, while having a set bedtime routine is important, it is equally crucial that parents find ways to see the joy in family life. Jenny Ho, from Orange County, California, came to that realization one evening back in July of this year while she was preparing to settle her son, aged 3, and 7-year-old daughter down for the night.
“It was just before bedtime and right after the kids had been fighting and arguing over every little thing that day; it was summer and kids were home from school,” Ho told Newsweek.
Having just broken up yet another fight between the pair, Ho sent her daughter to her room to cool off. It was there that a Ring indoor camera captured a wonderful exchange between the two previously warring siblings.
In the clip, Ho’s son, who, along with his sister, their mom has asked not be named, walks in to find his older sibling crying on her bed. “What’s the matter?” he asks. “I don’t know; I’m just sad,” she replies.
“But why are you just sad?” her brother responds. “I’m just sad,” she says again. “Why?” he asks once more. “I’m just sad,” she repeats. “Why?” he asks one more time.
Sounding slightly exasperated at her brother’s line of questioning, she responds: “Because I’m just sad.” Her brother, desperate for answers, asks: “Are mommy and daddy sad at you?” to which his sister replies: “Yes, they’re so mean.”
Eager to do something to help, her younger brother tells her, in the cutest way possible: “Well, I go yell at them.” He then repeats his promise: “I go yell at them!” as he gets off of her bed.
At that point, their mom, Ho, appears in the doorway. Her son sees her and immediately lets out an angry but adorable “hey!” while pointing at his mother, who appears initially oblivious to his objections.
“I sent our daughter to her room after breaking up another fight,” Ho said. “I knew she was upset so, after a couple minutes of letting her cool down, I walked in to talk to her and was met with an angry and protective little brother who was ready to hand out some justice for his sister.”
Jenny Ho’s 3-year-old son goes to check on his sibling in a bedroom. He had the most unexpected reaction to finding his sister crying, and the video has gone viral.
TikTok/@findingjen
In the clip, Ho can be seen entering the room before picking up her daughter and putting her on her lap for a cuddle. Soon enough, her younger son reappears in the doorway to berate her further for what he sees as a slight on his older sibling.
“Do not yell at sissy!” he says. “Bad boy!” This is all while pointing an accusing finger in the direction of his mom who pleads: “Not me, go tell daddy.” The video ends with her son, evidently back from admonishing dad, climbing on the bed to be near his mom and sister while shouting “all aboard! Choo, choo!”
Though Ho was present during much of what occurred in the clip, it was only when watching it back that she saw the full story.
“As much as they bicker and fight at this age, they truly have each other’s backs. Big sis always comes to his defense, and he’s the same way with her,” Ho said. “I thought the moment was so sweet and silly, and it didn’t even occur to me until later that week that the Ring in her room might have captured that moment. I went back to check, and there it was.”
Deciding the moment was “too silly to not share,” Ho posted the clip to her TikTok @findingjen where it quickly went viral, amassing 3.4 million views and counting.
One viewer described the footage as simply “the sweetest,” with another writing: “Baby brother is so protective.”
A third commented: “Hahaha he was ready to fight for his sister,” with a fourth adding: “When they get older you can show them this and show them they loved each other.”
Ho said the video is definitely going to be a core memory for her and her family. “Life can be so chaotic, and it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the daily grind when raising a young family,” she said. “When these little moments happen, it forces you to stop and just appreciate them being this little and this innocent for as long as possible.”
To Ho, it was a reminder to enjoy this stage of parenthood, even with all the stress and chaos that comes with it. “Childhood is so fleeting and I know we’re gonna sit back one day when they’re grown and say ‘remember ‘I GO YELL AT THEM’?? and laugh until we cry that they’re no longer that little.”
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