Mom unprepared for skills needed to discipline “disrespectful comedians”

Parenting requires love, patience, consistency and acting lessons, according to a mom from Georgia.

On January 28, Mackenzie King (@mackenzielucasking) posted a TikTok video showing the tail end of a conversation she and her husband had with their 3-year-old daughter, in which they struggled to keep a straight face.

King, 29, told Newsweek that it all started after they picked Wonder up from school and headed to Target. Like many toddlers, Wonder was fixated on leaving with a new toy. But her parents wouldn’t oblige her, trying to enforce a basic life lesson that not every Target trip meant a new plaything.

“I do know that according to her, this toy at Target was crying all night long at the store with no family because of us. How dare us,” King said, adding, “We maybe watched ‘Toy Story’ too many times.”

It wasn’t that line specifically that set the parents off. It was the domino effect of the entire conversation, King said. And while they knew they should be reinforcing respectful behavior, it was hard not to be impressed by their daughter’s comedic timing.

“There are so many moments when I’m both amazed and completely shocked by what comes out of my child’s mouth,” King said.

In the video’s text overlay, she posed a question to fellow parents: “How are y’all disciplining young disrespectful comedians with a straight face?”

“So often, she’ll say something that’s not the best choice, but it’s also hilarious,” King told Newsweek. “It’s that fine line of wanting to teach right from wrong but also being human and struggling not to laugh.”

She added, “Sometimes, you just have to walk out of the room or cough to hide the smile.”

King also shared an anecdote of Wonder’s response to her eating a garlic Caesar salad.

“I was sitting on the bed with her when she stops me in my tracks saying: ‘Mommy, I need you to stop talking right now. Your breath is so dirty. Stop talking, and go brush your teeth,'” she said.

King’s clip has gone viral, amassing more than 18 million views and 3 million likes in a couple of days.

The video prompted other parents to share their children’s savage comebacks.

“Yesterday my 4 yo said ‘Calm down Mr Mustache to my husband and I almost choked,” one user wrote.

“My wig fell off on accident and my 2 year old came up to me and said, ‘Oh hey daddy.’ I cried,” another added.

King told Newsweek that while parenting a toddler was challenging at times, it was also a lot of fun.

She said her daughter “is so full of personality and spunk. There [are] so many amazing qualities she has. They sometimes just need a little taming, but we have lots of time for that.”