Hilarious Way Mom Was Reminded That Babies Are Born 'Without Any Context'

Toddlers often leave their parent bewildered, and while most of the time they can just laugh it off, one mom couldn't resist sharing her daughter's hilarious misunderstanding on TikTok.

In a now-viral video, Shirley Halse, 31, delighted social media by revealing how her 2-year-old daughter completely misunderstood the phrase "shake on it." After agreeing to let Bramble, paint her nails, Halse put her hand out to shake. However, her daughter had other ideas, and rather than shaking hands, she shook her entire body instead.

The misunderstanding left Halse fighting off the laughter, as she told Newsweek that it is very easy to forget that "the world is totally new" to toddlers. Phrases and actions that are so habitual to adults might mean nothing to children, so they are left to derive their own meanings.

Halse, a comedian from Cheltenham, in the U.K., told the memorable story in a TikTok video (@shirleyhalse) and it quickly gained almost 100,000 views and more than 7,200 likes. It is moments like this that Halse reminds herself that children are born "without any context," and it gives her a whole new perspective for how they perceive things.

Halse said: "She looked at my hand proper confused as to what I was suggesting, and then she shook her whole body like she was dancing. I guess no one is too young to know Taylor Swift.

"I fell apart laughing because it was not what I anticipated, and then I felt gutted that she is a way better comedian than me. How would I ever have come up with that brilliant misdirection?"

Halse loves seeing how her young daughter processes the world around her, especially when tackling an unknown situation like this one.

While not all her ideas will work, Halse certainly thinks she could be onto something with this one. After seeing such a novel interpretation of shaking on it, Halse told Newsweek that she wishes "all business transactions were confirmed" this way.

"I think it's so sweet to see the learning process in action," Halse added. "As adults, if we've done things the same way for years, then sometimes we can't understand what it's like to not know how to do something. Parenting is an ongoing lesson of letting go and starting from square one."

Halse thought it best to teach Bramble the proper meaning behind the phrase and she has introduced her daughter to the proper business handshake now. Sadly, that won't be as fun in comparison.

Since sharing the tale on TikTok, Halse has been amazed by the social-media response. Bramble certainly isn't alone in her misunderstanding, as many parents shared their similar experiences.

"It's been really lovely; people have been sharing other miscommunications from their kids. People really identified with the mistake. I guess we've all been there," Halse told Newsweek.

Among the comments on the viral post, one TikTok user wrote: "I asked my friend's little boy to count to 10 and then count backwards. He turned his back whilst counting... did not expect it."

Another comment reads: "I said 'let's start tomorrow on a new leaf'. He cried because he didn't have a leaf."

Another person responded: "So many people don't understand that they have to teach their child EVERYTHING."

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