8-year-old saw a woman disrespect his mom — he asked for permission and then said something that stunned even her

Words are more than just sounds popping out of the voice box. Once out of the mouth, they can either turn into flowers or arrows, healing or hurting those we love. Those who hear them either go on to repeat them or learn a lesson. Shivaan, an eight-year-old Indian boy, learned a lesson when he noticed someone talking rudely to his mother and responded in a way that turned the whole episode into a masterclass on emotional intelligence and communication. In a March 6 video, which has been viewed nearly 2 million times, his mother, Khush Ahlawat (@khush_ahlawat), shared the story, confessing that his response was “glorious.”

“Someone was rude to me in front of my 8-year-old son. He said something that shocked all of us who were present there,” she described in the caption. With due permission from the concerned person, she elaborated on the details of the episode while fiddling around with a bunch of crocheted sunflowers in her hands. Shivaan walked into the scene about 10-15 minutes after he heard the person say rude words to his mom. Like a true gentleman, he asked for her permission to say something.

“What you said to my mumma was really rude; it was unnecessary,” he told her, and added, “Do you really think before speaking? Like you think for a minute that, when I say something like this, it’s really going to impact the other person. So if you really felt like saying that sentence, did you think it is worth saying that sentence to her?” Ahlawat recalled how his simple observation left them standing stock-still. “I am looking at him and she’s looking at him, and it’s like silence for, like, five seconds, and I was like, 'Who taught you that?'”

Shivaan answered that his teacher had taught him that. “My teacher has told me that you need to think before you speak. And if you really want to speak something bad, you need to think again, ‘Is it worth it?’” Ahlawat pointed out instilling these fundamentals in a child from a very young age is easier than trying to expect them to learn only when they are in relationships.

For many children, she said, it becomes normal if they see someone being rude every day. But for Shivaan, it wasn’t. It wasn’t usual or acceptable. It was a big deal.

Viewers flooded the comment box with heart and blessings emojis, praising the teacher who taught the right thing to the boy, something that even adults fail to comprehend and implement. Calling out on the sad reality of the country that follows “suppress not express” culture, @pandulavaishnavi wrote, “My mom would stop me midway to spare the person” with a sobbing emoji. “This generation is breaking good stereotypes,” said @simply_yash__. Some viewers looked at the video from a different perspective. For a kid to be fighting for his mom could be a sign that he’s adulting too fast. If this is the case, they suggested the mom to just let the kid enjoy his childhood and not throw him into difficult emotions too soon.

Shauna L. Tominey, a professor from Oregon State University and parenting education specialist, also emphasized the importance of emotional intelligence training from a young age. Children with higher emotional intelligence, she said, are better able to pay attention, are more engaged in school, have more positive relationships, are more emphatic, and communicate more effectively. Despite mixed reactions, Ahlawat is standing her ground, believing that her boy is growing up with some valuable emotional intelligence lessons. “If an eight-year-old boy can do that, we all can do that. It’s basic.”

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