The moment a 3-year-old girl corrected her parents for poking fun at the family dog melted people’s hearts.
Miranda Shea, known on Instagram as @nursemirandashea, and her family sat at the kitchen table, enjoying a meal together. The home security camera captured the conversation Shea started about the family dog, Nilla. The family adopted Nilla from their local animal shelter, which had rescued her from a high-kill shelter in Los Angeles.
In the March 30 clip, Shea pointed out how Nilla’s fur started to look “busted,” which she told Newsweek wasn’t a surprise to them.
“Her fur always looks wonky during shedding,” Shea said. “It tufts out and comes out in ‘chunks’ even when we’ve just had her groomed.”
Once NIlla’s second goat sheds, it smooths out. It is just during a few weeks when everything gets “wonky” and covered in white fur. But hearing these words upset her daughter, Bella, who will be 4 in August.
Bella asked what Shea meant, which she admitted she had made fun of Nilla. That’s when Bella stepped in and corrected her parents. She said it was not nice to make fun of people, which Shea immediately agreed with and apologized.
“I love that she felt safe enough to ‘call me out’ and check me,” Shea said. “I never felt safe enough to do that with my own mom. It brought tears to my eyes as it happened, knowing how insightful and intelligent my daughter is at such a young age.”
Shea continued, “Her older brothers have struggled developmentally due to various situations, like her eldest brother having autism. To have a child who is developmentally advanced AND caring enough to defend those who cannot defend themselves is a dream come true.”
Since this incident, Shea said Bella has spoken up during other instances after hearing her brothers or strangers make comments that might be interpreted as hurtful. Each time makes Shea even prouder.
“Besides Bells being very thoughtful, loving, and intelligent, she’s actually REALLY funny!” Shea said. “Her sense of justice and goodness is matched by her humor and silliness, which is pretty awesome to live around…The moment someone apologizes, she moves on and makes a joke to lighten the mood.”
Viewer Reactions
As of Wednesday, the Instagram post had garnered over 2.1 million views and 191,000 likes. Viewers flooded the comment section with praise for Bella’s response and her parents’ parenting style.
“The fact that she sees her dog as a person,” wrote one person.
“Bless that lil girl heart and big ups to the parents for teaching her well,” another person said.
“You know, even in your mistake, it was such a great teaching moment. (1) accountability, (2) apologizing, and (3) gratitude towards her for expressing herself,” a third commenter wrote.
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