Mom was heartbroken to hear her daughter was bullied—until she heard how her daughter responded

While the responsibility of fostering family values and teaching moral integrity largely falls on adults, especially the parents, children, at times, surprise everyone with the depth of their natural understanding. Ana, a mother from Florida who goes by @anacf93 on TikTok, experienced this profound reality when, while trying to teach her daughter about bullies in school, she ended up learning something way more valuable from her child.

In the heartfelt video, Ana captured her 5-year-old daughter, Pico, confessing about how two of her schoolmates bullied her, "The one in front of me, and the one in the back of me, said that my hair stinks." To this, her mother, who looked a bit disappointed by other kids trying to lower her daughter's self-confidence, responded, "Well, that was very rude!" Unlike most kids, Pico seemed very calm and composed despite such an unpleasant experience. She further shared, "Once, like Zoe said, she didn't like my hair, and now they are saying that my hair stinks."

At this point, Ana, Pico's mother, decided to teach her daughter how to react to such instances, if it ever happens in the future. She said, "When someone just tells you something rude, you just say that, well, that's not very nice, that hurt my feelings." What initially seemed like a mother teaching her child a valuable life lesson about dealing with bullies quickly turned into something unexpectedly heartwarming, as Pico responded with a remarkably beautiful way of dealing with negativity. The girl said, "Oh, I didn't say that, but I basically said, 'Well, I like your headband, I like your hair!'"

At this very moment, young Pico, perhaps without even realizing it, spilled the most underrated value of human interaction — kindness. "That's an even better answer than mine. Pico, you are right! When someone's rude to you, you can just tell them things you like about them," Ana exclaimed.  According to a shocking report by the Anti-Bullying Alliance, a survey conducted with almost 65,000 students from England revealed that almost 1 in 4 pupils claimed to have been bullied. While Pico is an inspiration to many who find themselves stuck in a loop of self-doubt because of constant bullying, not all children, particularly around her age, exhibit the same resilience. Unfortunately, many innocent kids unknowingly slip into depression and grow up to be individuals with low self-esteem and emotional regulation.

Reacting to Ana's video, @naynay8553 revealed, "She’s spot on! My mom used to say, 'The meanest and rudest people sometimes need kindness more than anyone!' And what a great way to make those girls feel awful! Can’t bring her down!" Similarly, @sanfam shared, "I love it! I teach first grade, and I teach them respect and kindness all the time. But I definitely learned something from your baby, too!"

@jbthicknjuicy wrote, "You should be so proud to have raised such a great young lady. We can always learn from children!" On the other hand, @roytuu commented, "What a nice kid! But I'm confused about the usage of 'stinks' as a descriptor: Is it possible those other kids were not trying to insult her? Maybe they did not know how to politely tell her about a hygiene issue? Still, that girl handled it like a pro!" @r0si37 said, "That says so much about her mom. Be kind always. YOU DID THAT, and you didn’t even know it. She caught you off guard. She’s lovely. Beautiful soul."

You can follow Ana T (@anacf93) on TikTok for more such parenting content.