Mom collapses at news of friend's passing, cries harder after seeing her toddler's response

Most of us believe that we tend to understand emotions better as we grow older, often underestimating that children are way purer and have a level of emotional intelligence that we are oblivious to. A Nevada-based social media content creator and mom, Kenna — who goes by the username @kennathemom on TikTok — broke down upon hearing the unfortunate news of her friend’s passing. Her toddler’s way of comforting her while she falls apart uncontrollably is beyond heartwarming and shares a lesson in empathy.

Kenna was having a regular day at home with her daughter and their dog when she received a soul-crushing phone call informing her that her friend had passed away. She, who was standing in the kitchen, fell to her knees and sat on the floor crying heavily when her daughter saw her in that condition and ran to get her what she thought would comfort her — a blanket. The toddler knew that the blanket worked well when she needed comfort herself, so she was sure it would help her mom, too.  

When the little girl wrapped the blanket around her mum, it made Kenna cry even harder. She hugged her little girl, and soon her dog followed them to the kitchen for snuggles, too. The toddler just wanted to relieve her mom and give her cuddles — no questions asked, no conditions put forward. Kenna's heartbreaking reaction rings true in all our hearts as we simply can't imagine life without our best friends — but her daughter, who did not understand the complexity of the situation, still found a way to support her.

A study conducted by the University of Chicago shares that children aged between 7 and 12 are more likely to feel empathy towards another person naturally. Researchers discovered by doing MRIs of the children that they, just like adults, feel pain in the same part of their brains when they see others hurting, proving that children understand emotions more deeply than we think. A different study by Veronica Ornaghi and others discloses the factors that help children gain emotional understanding, such as regulation of emotions, the knowledge of a language, and the mother’s style of coaching a child's emotional landscape. These factors not only help a child develop empathy but also impact their overall personality development and how they interact with others.

The research concludes that the little girl’s instant compassion is likely a result of how her mother treats her when she is sad. A comment by @kaykindagay on the video stated the same: “Toddlers only know how to treat people based on how they have been treated. Her immediate response means she knows exactly what Mama would do in this situation.” @agaywithcurls expressed, “I fear feeling the blanket and looking up to see a toddler would make me cry more,” while @nicaarts praised Kenna’s parenting skills, “I can tell just by how sweetly and empathetically she responded to your distress, that you are exactly the right kind of person to be a parent. The world needs more of you.” Finally, @jordyaragony wrote, “I am so sorry about your friend. Your baby girl is so sweet to love on you when you needed it most.”

You can follow Kenna (@kennathemom) on TikTok for more parenting content.