Jonathan Mendelsohn
In a viral TikTok posted by the account funnybabyvideo.official, a toddler is shown discovering his shadow for the first time and being terrified by it. While the video is adorable, some TikTok users have shared their frustrations with the father’s actions in the comments section.
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In the video that has accumulated 762.9k likes, the approximately two-year-old boy can be seen running around a patio and noticing his own shadow. He appears startled and begins crying when he realizes what he sees is actually attached to him. When the crying boy runs up to his dad, the father’s actions have surprised many social media users.
Father Pranks Son with His Own Shadow
The boy whines and waves at his father, who asks, “What’s wrong?” When the father notices that his son’s shadow is right in front of him, the man exclaims to the young child, “Look Down! Look!” When the baby obliges, he lets out a guttural scream. A little girl can be heard in the background saying, “What is it!”
The video is part of a popular online trend known as “shadow babies.” Some TikTok users are not happy with the joke this father played on his already frightened son. One user commented, “Honestly, it must really be terrifying from their perspective,” while another wrote, “Poor child, he is really terrified by his shadow.” One person attacked the trend as a whole, commenting, “Why do I always feel so bad for these shadow babies.”
Other TikTokers had more sympathy for the father, saying that discovering one’s shadow is a common part of growing up, despite how frightening it could be for a young child. One TikTok user joked “Don’t worry bubba, don’t be scared. It’s with you forever,” while others shared their own personal experiences with their children discovering their shadows. Another TikToker commented, “I’ll always remember the day my daughter did this. Funniest thing ever,” while a third said, “My son attacked his shadow by throwing things at it while screaming his little heart out.”
