A Mom Asked Her Daughter To Smile More, And It Totally Backfired

Sometimes motherly advice is spot on, and other times, well, it’s a disaster. And sometimes you get exactly what you wish for — and end up regretting it. TikTok mom Ann Milligan shared her epic failed attempt at getting her nine-year-old daughter, Evie, to give a more enthusiastic performance at her school play.

“My daughter had her final rehearsal for the school musical yesterday. This is how it went,” she began, showing footage of her daughter’s blank expression on stage. “Afterward, I regrettably said the one thing that no female *ever* wants to hear. ‘Try to smile more.’’’

When it came time for the actual performance, Ann recorded her debut and was slightly mortified, admitting, “She took my advice *exactly* how you’d expect.”

She then cuts to footage of Evie’s performance, where her daughter is engaged in a creepy, exaggerated smile, eyes bulging, neck scrunched and nostrils flaring. She kept up the expression for “the entire show,” while staring directly at her mother in the audience.

Hey, she was just taking her mom’s advice.

“I’m pretty sure the other parents are pissed right now,” Milligan joked. “And I can’t even be mad at my kid...because I’ve never laughed so hard in my life.”

I wouldn’t worry about the other parents because they were probably belly laughing too.

“She looked miserable,” Milligan told TODAY about how the viral smile came about. “I was like, ‘Try to smile more when you’re on stage.’ No female ever wants to be told to smile more, and I knew that wasn’t going to go over well. Evie didn’t immediately react, which made me nervous because she’s a headstrong kid.”

Of course, her mom spidey senses were tingling, and she knew “She had a game plan.”

Once the play started, people started to notice Evie.

“One little girl who was next to her whispered, ‘You don’t have to smile that big,’” Milligan said.

“When she looked into the audience, I had mascara running down my face from laughing — that’s when she decided she was going to do it the whole show,” Ann shared.

Did Evie have any idea her mom was peeing her pants? Yes, yes, she did. “I love making her laugh. I don’t think she’s ever laughed that hard,” she told TODAY.

“Omg, I am DYING! 😂 If that’s not the best response to “you should smile more”, idk what is,” one person commented.

“She's a legend and not even out of Elementary School,” another joked.

“As a feminist she understood the assignment,” another chimed in.

Evie’s mom was overwhelmed that the video — which now has 2.5 million views — went viral. She returned to TikTok the next day to answer a few frequently asked questions. Specially, she wanted to let everyone know that her daughter chose to be in the play and that she enjoyed herself.

Good to know, because it’s a little hard to tell.

She also noted that Evie is definitely not in trouble — because they thought it was hilarious and because they encourage their kids to be themselves.

“For those of you who said that I’m raising a psychopath and encouraging disrespect,” she continued, “Honestly, just by that comment, I can tell what generation you guys are from. Clearly you don’t understand that obedience and respect don’t have to go hand in hand all the time.”

Evie gave a ‘no f—ks’ performance, and we are grateful that Ann decided to share it with the world because it’s gold.