It’s a rarity that a bit of unfiltered honesty can actually evoke change in another person but that is exactly what happened with a child’s remark that may have altered the destiny of a couple’s future. Though the entire exchange was accidental, the spontaneous moment captured on TikTok is a testament to the natural wisdom of children and the power of a third-party perspective for mediating conflicts.
It all starts when the TikTok user @saoto.menace records herself in what looks like a typical selfie pose on a San Francisco pier, only for her impromptu shoot to be inundated with the noises of a bickering couple nearby. The videographer’s kid brother, who can be heard offscreen, simply speaks his mind in reaction to the arguing would-be lovebirds: “Here’s a breakup happening.”
To the surprise of everyone, the woman from the couple responds to the boy’s quip, saying, “Thank you, we should.” At this, the TikTok user makes a stunned and somewhat mortified expression while the woman from the couple essentially tells their mom the boy was right in his remark.
The kid’s follow-up comment makes it clear he had no intention of actually giving his hot take to the couple’s face: “I was supposed to whisper to your ear and they heard that.” However accidental the boy’s advice was, people in the comments were quick to predict greatness in his future.
Other TikTok users couldn’t help but point out that the kid hilariously failed the whisper test, like most children under a certain age.
We’re inclined to commend the kid for his remark seeming to provide a realization for someone in his orbit. However, the strange presence of a mysterious disembodied flute sound in the video, which many users noticed, has us wondering if the child is some kind of pied piper who has the magic power of uncoupling people.
You may walk away from this story believing it would serve your friends and family well to be brutally honest with them at every opportunity, lest they continue in the cycle of a toxic relationship, for instance. However, experts recommend a strategy called “truth with compassion” when it comes to communicating your honest thoughts to loved ones, according to Psychology Today. What this means is rather than giving your honest thoughts wrapped in a shroud of harshness, it would probably improve your chances of the recipient actually taking your advice if you put thought into the message before blurting it out, craft your remark around the individual’s personality, and pick an appropriate time and place to convey your ideas.