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Mom told 'headstrong' 9-yr-old to 'smile more' in school performance. Daughter's hilarious response made her regret it

The mom had no idea her 'smile more' advice was going to backfire hilariously, courtesy her daughter's great sense of humor.
PUBLISHED JAN 23, 2025
(L) Little girl making funny faces deliberately. (Representative Image Source: Pexels| Photo by Eren Li), (R) Mom holding her head while trying to contain her expressions and reactions. (Representative Image Source: Pexels| Photo by Mart Production)
(L) Little girl making funny faces deliberately. (Representative Image Source: Pexels| Photo by Eren Li), (R) Mom holding her head while trying to contain her expressions and reactions. (Representative Image Source: Pexels| Photo by Mart Production)

Asking kids to do something in a particular way often hysterically pushes them to do the exact opposite. If you’ve ever said something like, “Don’t touch that,” or “Go do this,” kids are likely to put on their hilarious strike against doing the same by just doing the exact opposite or something to the extreme. A mom named Annie (@anniesgotabun) shared a video of how her suggestion prompted a reaction from her 9-year-old daughter Evie that she was not prepared for. The girl was practicing for her holiday recital when her mum asked her “to smile more,” per TODAY. The girl did smile and it was one the mom will never forget all her life. 

Little girl performing at recital. (Representative Image Source: Pexels| Photo by Photo by Rubén Ostria Baltazar)
Little girl performing at recital. (Representative Image Source: Pexels| Photo by Photo by Rubén Ostria Baltazar)

The mom noted that it had been a long day and her daughter was presumably tired. Nevertheless, she wanted to encourage her to give her best during the recital. So, she casually looked at her and insisted she smile more. “No female ever wants to be told to smile more and I knew that wasn’t going to go over well,” the mom humorously remarked. Rightly so, after expressing a blunt and exhausted expression, the little girl rendered the widest, most awkward smile ever. “Evie didn’t immediately react, which made me nervous because she’s a headstrong kid,” the mom recalled. She eventually broke into laughter on seeing her daughter following her advice but in the most bizarre manner. 

The video captured the girl doing her part casually. She tried to smile but perhaps the exhaustion or other factors hindered the same. However, when Annie persisted in asking her child to smile, she gave the most sarcastic, freaky and baffling one. The mom noted that despite a fellow participant at the recital telling her she didn’t have to “smile so big,” there was a “game plan” and Annie’s daughter didn’t want to budge. “When she looked into the audience, I had mascara running down my face from laughing — that’s when she decided she was going to do it the whole show,” the mom added. 

Little girl smiling awkwardly and sarcastically. (Representative Image Source: Pexels| Photo by Allan Mas)
Little girl smiling awkwardly and sarcastically. (Representative Image Source: Pexels| Photo by Allan Mas)

The whole time the girl looked at her mom with the most absurd smile while the woman tried hard to contain her laughter. She even shared glimpses of herself defeated yet amused by her daughter’s sarcasm. The girl had no remorse for rendering the most memorable smile. She insisted that it was to make her mum laugh. “I don’t think she’s ever laughed that hard,” she said. Several people totally loved this reaction from the 9-year-old. 

Image Source: TikTok|@the.wayward.kittens
Image Source: TikTok|@the.wayward.kittens

Image Source: TikTok|@lindsyetti
Image Source: TikTok|@lindsyetti

@lisabinmpls said, “I love her. I hope that’s the ‘smile’ she gives every man who asks her to ‘smile more.’” @ifarmagik wrote, “This is going to be my face anytime someone tells me I need to smile more.” @lunatic53_ said, “My daughter sent me this because I ask her to smile all the time. Cracked me up.” @moralterran added, “I hope I can have a daughter who is this awesome someday. I wish I was this awesome. Rockstar.” @sparkle_a_diamond remarked, "At least she understood the assignment.”


@anniesgotabun Mistakes were made 🤦🏼‍♀️ #parentingfail ♬ Oh No - Kreepa

 

You can follow Annie (@anniesgotabun) for more content on parenting and lifestyle. 

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