Mom Checks How Son's Bedtime Is Going on Baby Cam, Shock at What She Hears - Newsweek

Jack Beresford is a Newsweek Senior Internet Culture & Trends Reporter, based in London, UK. His focus is reporting on trending topics on the Internet, he covers viral stories from around the world on social media. Jack joined Newsweek in 2021 and previously worked at The Irish Post, Loaded, Den of Geek and FourFourTwo. He is a graduate of Manchester University. Languages: English. You can get in touch with Jack by emailing [email protected]

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

A woman couldn't help but laugh after overhearing her toddler make the most unflattering of comparisons to her.

Gabby Clixby, a mom in Perth, Western Australia, who was heavily pregnant at the time, was watching footage recorded only minutes earlier on the baby cam in her son's room when she heard his comments.

Her husband had been reading a bedtime story to their 2-year-old son when he found himself in hysterics. "I had just heard this very loud and long laugh, so I assumed our toddler had said or done something funny," Clixby told Newsweek. "I rewatched the footage on our baby cam and laughed just as much as my husband did when I heard what he said."

Clixby ended up sharing the baby cam footage on TikTok, under the handle @gabbyclixby. In the footage, her husband can be seen reading to their son.

The 2-year-old correctly identifies a picture of a whale. Then Clixby's husband points at a picture of a blue whale before asking his son, "What's this?" The boy replies, "Mommy."

The answer sparks fits of laughter in the husband. Buoyed by the response, the 2-year-old begins laughing, too. Clixby's husband then tells their son: "You're mean. Don't let mommy hear you say that."

Clixby saw the funny side of the exchange—partly, she said, because there was a grain of truth to what her son said.

"I mean, at nine months pregnant, I was definitely large and in charge," Clixby said. "The only reason I wasn't offended was because my husband reminded me every day how beautiful I was."

Some viewers thought he laughed a little too much, with one writing in the comments section, "That laugh lasted the whole 9 month pregnancy."

Clixby defended her husband, arguing that he was laughing more "at the funny comment said versus actually believing I looked like a 'whale.'"

His response to their son's comment may have been correct. Writing on the website FamilyEducation.com, Carleton Kendrick, a family therapist, said it was normal for young children to push boundaries in this way, whether consciously or unconsciously.

The key is to respond in good humor, while gently asserting that this is not behavior that is encouraged. "Parents can acknowledge why their kids think that these types of things are funny. You can even admit that these things were funny to you when you were a kid," Kendrick said. "Parents can also tell their kids that certain words and situations may be funny, while also reminding them that it's ill mannered to repeat these words and acts in public. Parents must also teach their children that humor should never hurt people's feelings."

Clixby suspected her toddler was probably "too young to really understand the meaning" of what he had said. So it makes for a funny family moment. She added, "I decided to share the video to show a funny moment between my husband and our child and that sometimes life isn't that serious."

Newsweek is committed to journalism that is factual and fair

We value your input and encourage you to rate this article.

Newsweek is committed to journalism that is factual and fair

We value your input and encourage you to rate this article.