Preparing a rare treat for their low-income family—a pair of steaks to share between two adults and their four-year-old daughter—the parent meticulously followed a recipe, only to realize mid-cooking that they had forgotten to baste the steaks.

They recorded a video intending to show their husband and friends their misstep. Instead, the spotlight shifted to their empathetic four-year-old daughter, who reassured them with heartfelt words: "You did your best, Mom. The steaks look perfect!"

I’m a stay at home parent of 2, our household is low income. It’s not often that we are able to afford food that tends to be more expensive. My husband bought a pair of steaks to split between ourselves and our four year old, our other child is 6 months old and was around 5 months old at the time. Because we don’t purchase it often, I looked up how to make it and followed the recipe by the second with close attention to detail. I had already gotten both steaks in the cast iron and in the oven, perfectly timed might I add; it was a couple minutes before I realized I hadn’t basted the steaks. I took out my phone to record a video to show my husband and a few friends on Tik Tok my mistake, but my daughter ended up bringing light and joy to the lives of many by telling me I had done my best, that the steaks looked perfect and she was sure they would taste good but that we could wait and see when they were done cooking. I knew her words would bring comfort to my friends / mutuals, and to the small following that I have on the platform; however I was not expecting the video to get the attention of thousands. I’ve had hundreds of comments with individuals praising my parenting and the mentality of my four year old / her ability to empathize / her emotional intelligence. I shine all credit her way as she is truly such a kind-hearted, warm, loving person and always has been. Sure, parenting is important; I guess a core of my parenting involves believing that my child(ren) are naturally inclined to be gifted in their own areas of life, my daughter has always been empathetic to her core. People have commented asking for my recipe for parenting; I’d say the book, “The Whole Brained Child,” Bluey, spending the isolation time of the covid pandemic researching emotional regulation, neurodivergence, and the nervous system / vestibular input / stimming, and having experience both working in and studying early child development have all played a role in shaping how I approach parenting on a daily basis. I’m happy to see that while I do believe my daughter is naturally inclined to be kind and empathetic, my daily efforts are also working in some sort of capacity. But the only people I truly believe will be able to call me a good parent in full validity will be my children. Where the video is concerned we’re all just happy it’s brought so many people joy. Thank you for your time!