Being a 3-year-old can be a confusing experience. There are so many rules to learn and new situations to navigate. It's just starting to sink in that, yes, pants have to be worn every day, poop belongs in a potty, and that hands are not for hitting. Being a toddler can be really hard!
Anyone who has survived the toddler and preschool years knows that 3-year-olds are notoriously delightful and confounding in equal measure. In fact, we are so ready to debate anyone who thinks the "terrible twos" is actually the hardest phase, because 3 really is a whole other level!
But we can't help having a major soft spot for 3-year-old Carson, whose confusion and complete sweetness after being pranked by his mom with the "Empty Plate Challenge" on Tik Tok has been going viral — probably because he's just so adorable. Watch the video for Carson's cuteness, then watch it again for that oh-so-relatable moment when mom Kellie's mama guilt kicks in!
The Empty Plate Challenge is one of many social-media-inspired pranks parents play on unsuspecting little ones.
Carson's mom, Kellie Herron, is the content creator behind the popular @dailysmiles TikTok account. Her 7.2 million followers love the videos of little Carson and his twin baby brothers, and more than 26 million (!) people have liked her Empty Plate Challenge video since it first hit the internet in 2021.
The setup is simple: Kellie films Carson's reaction when she sat him down for a meal and handed him an empty plate and a fork. We're not sure what reaction she was hoping for, but it is safe to say that Carson goes on a real emotional journey in only 30 seconds!
First there is sadness.
As Carson looks at his empty blue plate, his lower lip starts to quiver as he says "Oh no." and "My food is gone." He even picks up his plate for a closer look at the heaping portion of nothing his mom served him.
We would have cracked like an egg at that sad lip, but Carson's mom somehow keeps it together. She even asks him where his food went, ushering him quickly into the next emotional phase.
Then there is confusion.
"What happened? Mom. What happened?" Carson asks as he looks around the room, perhaps making sure his meal didn't somehow wander away. We can almost see the wheels turning as he sniffs his plate, shakes his head, and seems to decide to be brave about the situation.
He looks at his mom and sweetly assures her "That's OK. That's OK," which is what finally makes his mom crack.
Final stage: mom guilt.
In the caption for the video, Kellie shares that "His reaction made me so sad," and we can hear it in her voice as she tells him it's not OK and that she'll go get him some food.
In the comments of the video, people couldn't get over how sweet Carson was, including noting "That’s the sweetest child I have ever seen." Another spoke for all of us, saying "The way he said it’s ok melted my heart."
One person even pleaded with Kellie: "Don't do that to your kid he is literally a angel," and another commented "I WANT A VIDEO OF YOU GIVING HIM HIS FOOD."
Here's hoping Carson got the best lunch ever once his mom shook off the mom guilt!
