3-Year-Old's Adorable Reaction To Mom Shortly After She Eats His Candy Is Melting Hearts

Mar 27, 2021

Children are honest, sometimes brutally so. Since they are not bound by societal expectations yet, they do not have to worry about the consequences of being honest. And this is why the proverb, "If you want the truth, ask a child" remains true even today. This can make some people nervous, of course; children find the most unfortunate of times to blurt out truths that others may not need to know, or they may give you a direct answer about how you look.

However, the other side of the coin is that the love a child gives you is pure, and one can be sure that there is no facade behind words or actions. With adults, many of us have to wonder if there is sincerity behind what someone says, but thankfully, that is not the case with children. As the video below is going to show us, children are inspirational in how they conduct themselves at times.

Halloween is a time of excitement for all children, and the best part of the holiday is all the candy they get. How they finish that candy depends on the child. Some may keep it saved for months and eat a little every day while others like to finish their collected candy as soon as possible.

Unfortunately for him, one little boy was suddenly faced with the fact that his saved candy was all gone. Jilliann Grouse from Greenwood, Arkansas, told her son, Rutledge, that she ate all of his Halloween candy to see how he would react. But she likely did not expect his reply to be like this! 

Grouse wanted to play a prank on her son Rutledge only to see how he would react. Before she said anything to him, she got her camera ready to capture any reaction. In the video below, we see the sweet, 3-year-old Rutledge listening to his mom as she asks him, "You know how I put you to bed last night?" Rutledge's adorable "uh-huh," response has already captured our hearts. However, Grouse was about to tell him what he did not want to hear the most. 

"Well, I got really hungry and I ate all of your candy," she says. Hearing this, Rutledge is shocked and looks to the side, as though he wants to go and check on his candy. "I'm sorry," says his mom. Rutledge then comes closer to her and suddenly breaks out a smile and laughs as he says, "You're just joking. You didn't eat all of my candy." But before he hears a response, his face has already fallen. His momma insists that she did eat all of the candy because she was hungry, and poor Rutledge's face is looks quite stricken as he attempts to say something more.

Grouse explains once more that she was really hungry, had no other food and apologizes. And by then, Rutledge has already found a solution for her. "Well, you should eat something from in here," he tells her as he opens the refrigerator. When his momma apologizes once more, Rutledge breaks out his signature smile again and tells her, "You don't need to."

This is when we see Rutledge for the sweet boy he really is. He probably senses that his mother might be feeling very guilty for eating all of his candy, so he comes closer to her once more and in a soothing way, he says to her, "Mommy, I'm not mad at you." He smiles a little at his momma and tells her, "It's okay," as he goes in for a hug. This interaction is quite short, but it has the power to turn around your day and make it better. Rutledge's kindness and compassion are truly inspirational, and it just goes to show that we are all born with a generous spirit.

"I was seriously blown away by just how sweet he was about it! I knew he would be understanding but not to that extent. It made my mama heart so proud!" Grouse told FOX29. "Right after the video, I smothered him in kisses and we ate candy for breakfast!" Grouse originally posted the video to her Facebook account, where it garnered over a million views and tens of thousands of comments and shares.

While most comments were positive and praised Rutledge for his sweetness, some people also questioned Grouse for choosing to play a prank on her son. With the rise in the number of parents pranking their kids for more views on sites like YouTube, some commenters were concerned for Rutledge and questioned Grouse about her intentions behind the video. Grouse then made a separate post to respond to the critics.

"My boy is famous for being an understanding angel!" Grouse posted as per CBS17. "I’m not a perfect mother, but I’m also not a terrible mother for joking with him about some candy. He is showered with love daily I can promise you that!" For the most part, however, the comments have been positive, with most of them celebrating Rutledge's naturally loving response to his mom.

Most of us may not have reacted in the same way had we been told that someone else ate the food we were saving for ourselves. There have been various bits on different sitcoms that portray the irritation and anger people feel when food they had specifically labeled with their names goes missing at home or at work. Even when we are at home and a sibling or parent takes our food, our immediate instinct is to react out of anger. However, Rutledge shows us that everybody benefits when you respond to someone with a forgiving spirit.

In fact, this viral video led to Rutledge receiving a key to the city of Greenwood, Arkansas, by the mayor! KNWA reports that on Feb. 3 2020, the mayor of Greenwood presented Rutledge with the key as well as a proclamation as Rutledge's little brother sat on his lap. The day was also recognized as "Rutledge Chase Grouse" day. What a wonderful way to honor sweet Rutledge! His parents Jilliann and Chase Grouse wrote on Facebook, "Thank you to the City of Greenwood for recognizing our sweet boy and of course for his candy! He is so proud and so are we!" 

What do you think of this adorable reaction? Do you have any experiences of children showing compassion like this? Tell us about them, and be sure to tell your friends and family members about this video. It is sure to make their day!