Dad's hilarious nightly routine to avoid an argument with his 5-year-old is stealing hearts online

Parents, at times, are compelled to think of creative ideas to prevent their kids from having tantrums. Though there is no universal way that works well with every child, some hacks might save parents a lot of stress. Recently, one dad amassed many views on TikTok for his amazing trick to prevent a prospective argument with his daughter. Boston-based mom influencer Cindy Camponovo who often shares wholesome family videos posted a video of a hilarious conversation between her husband and her 5-year-old daughter, Penelope. The dad's nightly routine of picking out his daughter's outfit had the internet's love and appreciation. 

The mom mentioned, "My husband's nightly presentation to prevent a 7 a.m. fire drill with our 5-year-old." As the mom entered the room, the dad was telling his daughter about how they were going to pick out an outfit for the next morning. He showed the little one the four outfits he had laid out for her to wear to school the next day. "We're going to pick one now. We don't have to fight," the dad said as Penelope was listening attentively. Then, the girl-dad showed off his fashion skills by describing each outfit like an expert. Penelope had to choose among, "a pink flower-power" outfit with matching pink shoes, "polo preps with navy loafers," another pink outfit paired with "beautiful pearls and Barbie," and a "cool kid on the block" kind of outfit. 

Once the dad-turned-stylist was done with his presentation, the little one walked up to the drawer where the outfits were laid out. She said, "I like all four of them," and pointing to the first "pink flower-power girl" outfit, she added, "I choose this one." Confirming if that was her choice, the dad decided to shake on it. The duo sealed the deal on the outfit for the next day with a handshake. But the dad wanted to be sure and double-checked with Penelope if she was okay with the outfit. "No argument tomorrow morning," the dad assured the mom and added, "It's recorded for quality assurance." The video ends with an adorable picture of Penelope wearing the exact outfit she chose from her dad's options.

In just 2 days, the video garnered over a million views. An outpouring of love was targeted at the girl dad not just for his wholesome way of handling his daughter's meltdowns but also for his surprising fashion sense. "As someone who struggled with anxiety a lot even as a kid, this would have been so helpful to help me mentally prepare for my day at school. I do this now as an adult but love implementing early," commented @ckcree.art.

When @leenanzers commented, "He was definitely made to be a girl dad like we love," the mom replied, "100%. He has a clothes journal for his own outfits so he doesn’t wear the same outfits to work too many times." Another user, @lillianalessi wondered, "What about when she decides to mix and match the outfits/shoes?" the mom replied, "He’s so OCD that it drives him nuts. So the special unit (mom) comes in to defuse the situation." @fathertrina wrote, "All of the different aesthetics are so perfect. I need these options laid out for me every night."

You can follow Cindy Camponovo (@cindycamponovo) on TikTok for more wholesome family content.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on March 21, 2024. It has since been updated.