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Toddler tries a pepper for the first time and we can totally relate

Even though Lucy Estrada has over 60 thousand followers on her Tik Tok account, she probably didn’t expect that a cute video featuring her toddler son munching on a hot pepper would go viral! Estrada posted the clip of her two-year-old son, Emmett, happily taking a bite out of a jalapeno pepper while his mother filmed him, and his sudden realization that it may have been a bit spicier than he expected has gone viral.

Estrada’s Tik Tok has been viewed more than 12 million times and features a totally adorable Emmett standing on a chair in their kitchen as he prepares to take a bite of the spicy pepper. Estrada focuses her camera on Emmett as he chomps down on the jalapeno pepper, and although doesn’t react immediately, even turning the pepper towards his mom to show her he took a bite, his face quickly changes. “It’s the face when he realized he messed up for me,” Estrada captioned the video that shows Emmett’s sudden realization that the pepper was, in fact, spicy! Although many people may have run for the closest cold drink, Emmett, whom his mother says really enjoys spicy food, was pretty calm!

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“I thought you said it wasn’t spicy, is it spicy?” Estrada can be heard asking Emmett off camera. Emmett smiles and nods yes as he fans his mouth with his hands, and Estrada asks if he would like a drink of water. The adorable toddler nods yes once again and calmly walks to their water dispenser where he patiently waits for his glass of water.

The video has garnered over 34,000 comments on Tik Tok, most of them applauding Emmett for not only trying the pepper but for how calmly he reacted when he realized how hot it actually was. “Respect. The little man kept going and finished his bite,” wrote one commenter, while another added, “this is the most calmest freak out I’ve ever seen!” Of course, some took to the comments to chastise Estrada for allowing her son to eat such a spicy pepper and filming his reaction, but she assured viewers that Emmett was just fine.

@lucyestrada50

It’s the face when he realized he messed up for me ?? #toddlersoftiktok #spicyfoodlover

♬ original sound – Lucy Estrada

In a follow-up video posted to her Tik Tok, Estrada explained that Emmett is a fan of spicy foods saying “he likes salsa in his burrito and Cholula in his scrambled eggs and he wanted to try that jalapeno so he tried it,” In response to some commenters who told her she should have given her son milk instead of water, Estrada assured those concerned that Emmett was just fine. “I know milk makes the burn go away but he really was fine after drinking that water. He handled it really well.”

@lucyestrada50

Storytime and answering some questions? @lucyestrada50 #viral #fyp #toddlersoftiktok

♬ original sound – Lucy Estrada

Most commenters applauded the mom for introducing her son to new foods and allowing him to try things even though others may think they’re too hot. “Emmett is such a champ! Did better than I would eating a raw jalapeño,” wrote one fan, while another added, “You had me at salsa in his burrito and Cholula on eggs. It’s the only way to do it.” You can see more of adorable Emmett and his big sister Emerie on Estrada’s Tik Tok.

Kelli Catana
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