A mom’s tactic to help her 5-year-old son gain more confidence is going viral on the internet.
Tia Ball (@tiawiththefam) documented the moment she gave her son, “Bear,” $10 to order and pay for his own ice cream in Dahlonega, Georgia, in a clip on TikTok.
Inside, he successfully orders a scoop of strawberry ice cream topped with gummy bears using the money he made from selling one of his old toys.
The idea, Ball, explained, is to give her son independent tasks to break away from what she called the “anxious generation.”
“There are a ton of studies and varying opinions out there, but from where I’m standing, there’s a noticeable difference between the kids who are growing up in a heavily digital world and the kids who grew up before tech fully took over,” the 29-year-old told Newsweek.
She and her husband Miles, 32, are part of a growing group of parents concerned that convenience and connectivity have come at a cost.
Their perspective is also shaped by their faith. “Our faith is central to our lives, and the Bible is our true north in how we parent,” Ball explained. “Even though we’re raising our son in a world where almost anything can be done with the tap of a screen, we’re trying to be more intentional than ever to help him develop skills that were once second-nature to other generations.”
Ball pointed out that while modern tools like grocery pickup, food delivery and streaming services make life easier for busy parents, they also limit face-to-face interactions. “I don’t think technology is inherently negative, but too much of anything takes its toll,” she added.
The ice cream run wasn’t the first step in this experiment. The family started with simple things, such as asking the librarian for help finding a book.
Both Ball and Miles went to college in Dahlonega, so having their son order ice cream at Connie’s felt like a “safe place to level up.”
Next, the parents plan to take Bear to Chick-fil-A and have him stand in line to order independently.
Ball explained that her son is learning a wide range of skills by completing these tasks such as manners, problem solving, money management and decision making.
“He’s getting more confident in asking for help when he needs it and becoming a functioning member of society,” she said. “Most importantly, he’s learning how to connect with people in person.”
Ball’s clip has been viewed 3.1 million times on TikTok and divided users in the comments.
Some shared that they were also encouraged to carry out independent tasks as young children; one user called it a “confidence booster” and others praised the parents for their efforts.
Another user agreed with Ball’s intentions and shared that they found the number of young adults with social anxiety “alarming.”
On the other hand, some users said the tasks had an adverse effect for them during childhood, claiming it was the source of their anxiety.
“This would have be crying. I was such a shy kid,” one user commented.
Ball acknowledged the open discussion on her post. “Like with anything you post on social media, people are going to have differing opinions, but I’m glad it’s been helpful,” she said. “I hope I can continue to grow my community of parents.”
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