Mom asked toddler if she looked the same as in her old pictures — daughter’s unexpected reply left her dumbstruck
Kids can be brutally honest, but 36-year-old Kansas-based mom Sadie Clements wasn't ready to be "attacked" by her toddler's opinion. When her daughter Pheobe was going through her mother's photos from her youth, she began closely inspecting the pictures. Before the mother could ask the toddler if she looked the same now as she did in the photos, the kid had a blunt reaction that left internet users floored. Reported by PEOPLE on Friday, January 9, 2026, the mother's Instagram reel (@sadiejoclements) has garnered more than 43.7K likes from viewers.
As shared by the mother in her reel, which has gone viral, her daughter closely inspected a photo from her senior year. When Sadie asked if she looked the same as she does now, the kid, without hesitation, said, "No, not really." Sadie questioned what looked different about the picture and her present self. The kid remarked, "Well, you just look prettier in this picture. But, now you're not." Talking to the outlet, Sadie revealed that her immediate reaction was to laugh. "She was not wrong! I was very newly postpartum in this video. I didn't wear makeup, let alone look like I walked with the living," Sadie said. Soon after the video went viral, many parents reached out to her to share "wild things" their kids told them.
The mother of two was not offended by her little girl's comment, but rather found it hilarious. However, unlike Sadie, many adults do not take it in good spirits. According to a 2022 report published in Taylor & Francis Group, children who are blunt and brutally honest are often "judged harshly by adults." The report states that since children are taught that lying is wrong, they never develop the ability to lie at an early stage. The study surveyed 267 adults and showcased videos of children aged 6-15 who were telling lies and the truth in different scenarios. The findings revealed that adults were judgmental of brutally honest kids, compared to those who sugarcoated their opinions to appear more polite. By not judging her daughter, Sadie encouraged her child to grow up in a more honest environment, free of criticism and fake respect.
The video left internet users in stitches, who shared their own experiences of dealing with brutally honest kids. @lifeinstylebyliz wrote, "My daughter found an old picture of me when she was little and said I looked so 'brand new.'" @destina96 commented, "My 4-year-old son was lying [sic] on my chest. I thought we were having a cute moment, and then he said, 'You have yellow teeth,' and burst out laughing. It's safe to say I'm going to use whitening strips now." @bjsimoes mentioned, "My nephew did that to me years ago. He was 6, and I had just had my 3rd baby. We had out our high school yearbook, and he asked, 'Is that a picture of you when you used to be pretty?'"
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