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Dad with a 3-year-old son goes on a hilarious rant comparing toddlers to 'terrorists'

Parents are feeling so seen by this.

@andrecrews/Instagram

Dad Andre Crews goes on a rant comparing his toddler to a terrorist.

In parenting, there tends to be two camps of people: those who feel there is no experience more sacred or beautiful or fulfilling than bringing a child into this world, and those who are like, “this is hard, and my kid is a jerk, but hey, let’s have a laugh about it.”

Of course, which camp you belong to changes at any given moment, depending on whether you’re dealing with the sweet little cherub etched from your very soul, or their terrible, chaotic alter ego. You know the one.

 terrible twos, toddlers, parents, parenting, toddler tantrums, child psychology, kids, babies What I'd give to be able to throw a tantrum like that. media4.giphy.com  

It seems pretty clear which version fitness influencer and toddler dad Andre Crews was dealing with when he made a very raw, yet darkly funny TikTok comparing his three-year-old son to a “terrorist.”

A warning to those who might be sensitive to profanity: there are a lot of f-bombs thrown around in the video. Which can obviously be a little jarring when talking about a toddler, but it’s also clear that Crews, wearing a weighted vest that even gives off tactical gear vibes, is coming at this like a grizzled soldier on the battlefront—which is honestly something so many parents can relate to.

Swears aside, Crews goes on about how his kid holds his family “hostage” every night, how getting him to eat any food besides multigrain Tostitos chips scoops (“at least they’re multigrain”) and strawberry-banana Gogurt packets (“not strawberry, not banana, and if it’s not strawberry-banana…you better BUCKLE UP”), and how brushing teeth offers a whole “20 minutes podcast of war stories.”

Still, the tirade ends on a sweet note, with Crews saying, “but the next morning, he wakes up, he’s beautiful, and all the [terrorism] melts away.” If that ain’t parenting in a nutshell, we don’t know what is.

“To all the parents out there: know that it’s never easy, but you’re doing god’s work,” Crews concludes.

With over 220,000 likes on Instagram, Crews' video clearly struck a chord. So many parents chimed in to share how they too felt the carnage of the Terrible Twos.

“The more I talk to other parents we are just all raising the same kids in different skins 😂”

“The best description of parenting a toddler 🤣”

“Lmfaooooooo ….. okay so it’s not just me.”

“Hold the line buddy🤣same everywhere no back up, no support.”

“I have twins, I'm surrounded 😂😂😂”

“I HAVE SAID THIS FOR YEARS!!!! FINALLY SOMEONE UNDERSTANDS 😂😂😂😂😂”

Toddlerdom is a constant experimentation phase for little ones to test the boundaries of their own free will, all while still being challenged by a still developing brain and sense of emotional regularity. So a bit of chaos, tantrums, mood swings, aggression, a bombardment of “nos!” or, as Crews put it, “terrorist” behavior. But this phase is par for the course in parenting. Kids aren’t being bad for the sake of it, they’re just navigating a pretty uncomfortable phase for the first time ever. And maybe strawberry banana Gogurt—not not strawberry, not banana, strawberry-banana—is the one and only thing to soothe that discomfort in the moment.

 terrible twos, toddlers, parents, parenting, toddler tantrums, child psychology, kids, babies To any parent dealing with a toddler tantrum—Godspeed. Photo credit: Canva

Bottom line, if you’re a parent currently feeling terrorized by your little one, you are not alone, and you’re doing great. and there's nothing wrong with "having four cups of coffee" to get through it.

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Pets

Adopted puppy takes first walk with new family and digs up treasure worth nearly $8,000

He's a regular gold retriever.

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Lagotto romagnolo puppy.

Many a canine lover would agree that all dogs add value to our lives. But let’s face it, Ollie takes it to a whole new level. In 2022, Adam Clark and Kim Mcguire of Blackpool, England, originally bought little Ollie as a surprise for their daughter Alice. However, it would turn out they were in store for a lovely surprise as well.

Ollie is much more than an adorable face. His breed, the Lagotto Romagnolo, or Italian Water Dog, once used its keen sense of smell to hunt waterfowl in the wet marshlands of Italy, according to Dog Time. Here's an example of what a Lagotto Romagnolo looks like:

 Lagotta Romagnolo, dog, breed, pup, cute, gif Happy Lets Go GIF by American Kennel Club  Giphy  

Pretty much a teddy bear on four legs.

These pups are also natural diggers, and nowadays the only dogs bred specifically to hunt for truffles. These talents came into play rather quickly when after only 10 minutes into his first family walk in the park, Ollie began to frantically dig into the soil.

Much to everyone’s surprise, Ollie dug up what appeared to be 15 sovereign coins, meaning pieces of gold that could date back as far as 1489. The gold sovereign first appeared that year under King Henry VII and was struck until 1603.

 gold, sovereign, coin, treasure, sovereign coins, dog A gold sovereign. www.publicdomainpictures.net  

Clark took the coins to be examined by a reputable gold dealer, who not only deemed the coins legitimate, but valued them to be £5,943.96, equivalent to $7,564. It's not clear how much the family paid for Ollie, but it seems safe to say that they got their money back …and then some.

Though Ollie’s find is remarkable, Clark still finds his presence to be the ultimate gift. "The treasure is one thing, but the fact is, I've bought myself my very own gold hunter, and I cannot wait to take him out again," he told The U.S. Sun. "He is obviously a very special pup, and I'm thrilled with what he brings to the table — quite literally!"

 

While Lagotto Romagnolos work really well for finding truffles (and potentially 500+ year old gold coins), they also make for great companions. Dog Time adds that they are easily trainable, good with children, and their hypoallergenic coats keep allergies at bay, though they do require dedicated grooming. It's a pretty even trade-off for their undying affection and easy-going attitudes. Especially if they happen upon a small fortune!

There’s no real telling what other trinkets Ollie might dig up. But one thing’s for sure—he’s making his family very happy, and that is priceless.

This article originally appeared three years ago.

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Kids

Big brother steps in for his sister's father-daughter dance and then steals the show

“I don't know if he knows what an impact he's making as her big brother, but she'll never forget this.”

@patrice_thomps/Instagram

Best brother ever.

Even for the parents who prioritize showing up for their kids, missing a child's event now and then might be unavoidable. But certain occasions are more painful than others when a parent can’t show up, and fatherless father-daughter dances undoubtedly fall into this category.

In June 2024, six-year-old Harper was nearly put in this situation when her dad couldn’t show up to her dance studio's annual summer showcase—which normally includes a father-daughter dance—because of a work commitment.

Thankfully, her 14-year-old brother Micah is the coolest brother in the world, and stepped up to take her dad’s place so she wouldn’t miss out.

In a mega-viral video posted to Instagram by Harper and Micah’s mom, Patrice Thompson, we see the duo have a blast as they twirl in circles, fist bump, and end with an adorable lift for their “Barbie and Ken” themed routine.

“Core memory for the team today,” Thompson wrote in the caption. “I don't know if he knows what an impact he's making as her big brother, but she'll never forget this.”

 

Micah didn’t just have an impact on Harper. So many people left comments sharing how impressed and moved they were by his kindness.

“In a world of boys he is a gentleman,” one person wrote, referencing a Taylor Swift lyric.

Another offered a touching truth, writing, “As a man whose dad walked away from me, this makes me so emotional. You are raising your son to be the cycle breaker. He won’t end up repeating cycles of toxic masculinity like so many of the men we see today. he will be a better man. And his little sister will grow up knowing what a real man should be like, because she has her big brother to show her."

One comment commended Micah for stepping out of his comfort zone, saying, “Bless his sweet heart. I know how big that is for a 14 year old to put himself out there. Major props!”

“Watching him lift her up at the end got me i can’t lie i teared up 🥲🥲” another shared.

“As a girl who had my older brother participate in my “father-daughter” dances for drill team in high school, this made me soo emotional! 😭 this is a special moment they will remember forever,” reminisced another.

And perhaps the best (and truest) comment of them all, was this one: “Does your son know he's a legend?”

In an interview with Newsweek, Thompson shared that while she is “so proud” of her son, especially since most boys his age “would rather do anything else than perform a routine in front of their peers and during summer when he could be off with friends.” However, she is “not super surprised” that he what he did. “That's the young man he is!" she exclaimed, adding “he truly understands the meaning of being selfless."

To all the brothers who would show up for their siblings in this way—thank you. Your generosity and compassion really do help make the world a better place, and it doesn’t go unnoticed.

Here's the family all together: Mom, Dad, Micah, Harper, and the newest addition born earlier this year, baby Christian. Hopefully the new baby boy knows he won the sibling lottery.

This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.

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Family

Man brilliantly points out the unexpected effect of growing up with 'judgmental' parents

"Not enough people talk about this.”

Photo credit: Canva

How judgmental parents taught us to anticipate a judgmental world.

Many of us grew up as sounding boards for our parents in one capacity or another—including being the one to hear their offhanded comments about someone else. It could very well be a trait that’s passed on to us that we do with our own kids, whether we realize it or not.

However, there’s one major way this impacts how littles grow up to perceive the world, says Nick Werber, an Integrative Coach who posts a lot of family education content across social media.

In a clip posted to his TikTok, Werber explained that, “When you grow up around a caregiver that was constantly judging or complaining about people behind their back but they did it in front of you, you may or may not have thought ‘Wow, mom or dad— they’re really judgmental.’ But what you might have absorbed is the fear that people are judging you behind your back.”

 
 @nick_werber When judgment is the background noise of childhood, it can shape how you experience closeness, even as an adult. This one is pretty specific, do you relate? #familydynamics #highlysensitiveperson #innerchildhealing #cyclebreakers #attachmentwounds #scapegoatchild #traumaawareness #healingjourney ♬ original sound - Nick_Werber 
 
 

He continued, “Because even if your caregiver’s judgments weren’t directed at you, the behavior shapes how you see relationships. It’s like you absorb that belonging means getting scrutinized. That closeness with other people opens you up to their judgments."

“I share this today not because I think parents should or even could be perfect in every way,” he concluded, “but because this is one of those things I think that really does affect sensitive, attuned kids and not enough people talk about this.”

If this scenario felt all-too-relatable for you, you’re not alone. The video, which racked up over 500K views, also brought in a slew of comments from folks who apparently had this exact same experience—many of whom grew up to become chronic people pleasers. Imagine that.

“My mother judged everyone. The mailman, the cooking show host, the cashier at the grocery, the lady at the drive thru. This makes SO much sense.”

 judgmental parents, family education, family, parents, parenting advice, healthy parenting, toxic parenting A woman judging a mailman. Photo credit: Canva

“So you’re telling me the reason I feared going into ‘popular’ stores at the mall as a teen because I feared the employees wer judgin me because I didn’t belong was actually because my mom judge everyone and everything? huh.”

“Ergh yes. They were constantly pointing out ‘fat’ people.”

“How did you know my life.”

“This is how I grew up. My mom would be so sweet to someone’s face then sneer at them the second they turned around. It was very confusing."

“Funny how growing up under constant judgment wires your brain to assume everyone’s holding a gavel, even when you’d never pick one up yourself. It’s like your nervous system still thinks it's being graded, even though you dropped the class years ago.”

“Absolutely. My mom, grandmother, and aunts live close together and talk about all the other family members. I will never open up or trust them because they will talk about my business too and make it everyone’s business.”

“I literally thought ‘wow mom and dad are so great so listing out all the ways people can be wrong, now I know how to be perfect…lol.”

 judgmental parents, family education, family, parents, parenting advice, healthy parenting, toxic parenting People pleasers, unite!Photo credit: Canva

This conversation isn’t meant to bash any parents for being imperfect, but rather to point out common, yet unhelpful, patterns which may continue to stifle our personal development (and that of our kids) if left unbroken. Thankfully, we are at a time where pattern-breaking conversations are very much the norm, and so many parents today aim to use the insights they gain about the past in order to create the healthy environments they might not have received.

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