Toddler's heartwarming reaction to learning mom was adopted is an absolute tear-jerker

Motherhood is not just about responsibility; it's also about healing. Through parenting, mothers often find themselves restored. Beyond changing diapers and packing lunchboxes, they heal their hearts in the process. Emily Fauver (@emilyfauver) shared a touching TikTok video of her toddler’s reaction, which helped her feel emotionally healed after years of depression. The video is captioned, “My toddler’s reaction when I told her I was adopted.”

The video, captured by a home security camera, begins with Emily standing in the kitchen. Sunlight streams through the window, and a fluffy white dog lies sprawled on the floor. Emily is feeding the pet and snacking on a banana when her little girl, Ella, in an orange dress, enters the scene. “Why is Mimi your mom?” Ella asks. “I was adopted, actually,” Emily answers. “Why?” Ella insists. Emily then reveals what she hadn’t been able to share for years: “Because my mommy didn’t want me. My mommy didn’t want me, so a new mommy came and got me,” she says, quivering.

Ella appeared baffled. She just exclaimed “Awe!” Pausing for a while, she finally declared, “I want you. I really want you. I’ll be your mommy.” In a split-second, Emily found herself weak-kneed. She instantly dropped the banana on the countertop and dropped to the floor, her eyes rolling with teardrops. “Give me a hug. That is so sweet,” the mom said, and embraced her daughter, “That’s exactly why I had you.” The girl repeated, “I’m your mommy now.”

“My heart will never be the same. She’s healed so much of my inner child for me,” Emily captioned the video, which has garnered over 9.5 million views and 1.9 million likes since it was posted in October 2022. The video was followed by a flurry of thousands of comments in which people said they were bawling over the girl’s reaction.

@amberdawnmorningstar reflected, “She didn't even think for 5 seconds, she decided immediately, she was going to be your new momma.” @lyssryann_ commented about Ella, saying that she “is the sweetest thing!” @antonioyarzagaray added, “That's one of the sweetest things I have ever heard. I don't know how she gets it, but she gets it. Life is hard. Love is everything.” @abbieking90 said, “Kids really do know how to heal some of the deepest emotions without actually knowing they are doing it.”

On Reddit’s r/MadeMeSmile group where the video was re-posted, it was upvoted 71,000 times. In the comment section, u/chiliNPC urged, “Protect children at all costs. They truly are the purest souls.” The video also grossed a whopping 760,000 likes on Instagram where @barbygirlsyd said, “'I’ll be your mommy' has me in tears,” and several other people connected with the same sentiment.

This heartwarming video is one from the series where Emily regularly posts clips of herself with her daughter Ella. She even hosts a series of TikToks called "Big Bow Cooking Show" that features her daughter's cooking. She has 4.7 million followers on TikTok. A top-spot beachbody coach, Emily has also appeared on “The Codependent Podcast.”

Emily was born in California and raised in Oregon. In a 2019 Facebook post, she revealed she had struggled with drug addiction and abuse in her foster home during her early years, leading to eating disorders and depression. However, as the video shows, her daughter’s priceless reaction has helped her heal from her childhood trauma. Emily now lives in Kansas City with her husband and high-school sweetheart, Dylan Fauver, and their two kids.

You can follow Emily Fauver on TikTok and Instagram for more lovely mother-daughter videos!