A mom on TikTok is sharing an innocent "parenting fail" that now has the internet in tears from laughing so hard. According to TikTok user @anniesgotabun, she gently reminded her daughter Evie to "smile more" during a recent performance at her school play. But apparently, her daughter took the directions a little too literally, and the results were hilariously creepy.
It all started with the dress rehearsal earlier this month
As @anniesgotabun explained in one of her videos, all four of her children are homeschooled through a public charter school, but they meet with their classmates about once a week for in-person activities. This also happens to be when they work on school performances, which more recently was a musical production of Beauty and the Beast Tell All, an educational play that teaches kids certain literary elements.
During the dress rehearsal, the mom couldn't help but notice that her daughter looked a bit bored.
So, @anniesgotabun did what most moms might do in this situation
After the rehearsal, she gave her daughter some constructive feedback to smile more. But as she later admitted in the comments, the minute the words left her lips, she knew she'd made a "terrible mistake."
In the now-viral TikTok, Evie can be seen forcing such an intense, over-the-top smile during the live performance that it borders on terrifying and hilarious.
@anniesgotabun Mistakes were made ♀️ #parentingfail ♬ Oh No – Kreepa
"I regrettably said the one thing that no female ever wants to hear," the mom wrote in her TikTok caption.
@anniesgotabun Pretty sure this trend was made for Evie #smile ♬ Kute & Neat – Sasique
"She said the younger girl next to her kept whispering, 'You don't have to smile that big,'" @anniesgotabun added in the comments.
So far, TikTok cannot get enough of the clip
Some are even calling Evie the new "Queen of TikTok."
"I love her," one person wrote. "I hope that’s the 'smile' she gives every man in her life who tells her she should 'smile more.'"
"Girl went from Wednesday Adams to the Crazy Eyed snapchat filter!" someone else said.
"Omg, I am DYING!" another commenter wrote. "If that’s not the best response to 'you should smile more,' idk what is."
Others have called the girl a "hero" and even a "legend"
"She understood the assignment!" one user wrote. "Wait til the teenage years. Start training physically and mentally now!"
"This is beautifully passive aggressive and I love it," someone else said.
@anniesgotabun tried to respond to all of the comments, but later said she simply couldn't keep up once the video went viral. The clip now has more than 2.7 million views and counting, along with thousands of comments.
@anniesgotabun I submitted the original video (@anniesgotabun) to @dailydoseofinternet Evie would be stoked to see herself on her favorite YouTube channel. I just imaging her big smile now… #fingerscrossed #momsoftiktok ♬ original sound – Annie's Got A Bun
Most said they couldn't stop laughing and didn't know how the mom made it through the performance without losing it.
"Imagine being in the second row, facing a stage of other kids (who you don't want to think you're laughing at them), in an auditorium of angry parents!" @anniesgotabun told one user.
