A family was left in hysterics when they copied their daughter's vocabulary, only for her to throw it right back at them in the best way.
Carson Matranga and his wife, Brielle, are proud parents to their 18-month-old daughter, Xalia. Matranga told Newsweek his large, close-knit family was "beyond excited" when he became a father for the first time. "Naturally, they dote on my daughter Xalïa and, as you can see in the video, they've even adopted her vocabulary!" he said.
A clip shared to Matranga's TikTok account, @creator___, on January 12 showed the family sitting around eating, as Matranga posed a question to his daughter—something she often says herself.
"So nummy," he said, before pointing at Xalia and asking in a high-pitched tone: "So nummy?"
Xalia instantly nods, before putting down her bowl and agreeing: "So nummy." She then turns back to her father and asks, in the same high pitch: "So nummy?"
The question also gets posed to Matranga's brother, Kingston, on the sofa, before Xalia looks directly at the camera, points, and asks, "So nummy?" at which point the adults in the room collapse into peals of laughter.
Matranga told Newsweek: "Xalïa asks questions in a super high-pitched voice, which I think is the cutest thing ever. I knew that if I started repeating 'so nummy, SO nummy?!' to her, she would respond.
"What I didn't expect—and the reason I started laughing so hard—was when she turned to the camera and asked you, the viewers, the same question. She's not even 2 yet, but she's already so clever."
TikTok users, too, were left in stitches, with the video racking up over 1.4 million likes, and one commenter writing: "She put the bowl down like 'you know what? Now that you mention it …'"
"She broke the 4th wall," another posted, adding: "I love her!"
A third wrote: "She's like 'finally they're speaking properly!'"
One commenter predicted the phrase "will still be in your vocabulary when they're adults. My family still says 'ornch' for orange because that's what my brother said as a toddler!"
Matranga said the phrase came from Xalia's "adorable way of describing her favorite foods." He added that his own mother predicted "moments like this will stick with us forever—just like the phrases she and my dad still use from when we were kids."
American babycare brand Pampers says that, by around 17 months old, babies are generally learning to put words together to make simple phrases.
Parents can assist in their child's vocabulary development by naming and explaining everyday objects; teaching their child nursery rhymes and reading with them; encouraging them to take part by turning the pages; and pointing to the pictures when naming the items.
Reacting to his video, Matranga told Newsweek: "That moment felt like such a proud first-time dad experience—seeing her personality and smarts shine through in such a simple, heartwarming way.
"I think phrases like 'so nummy' will definitely stay with us well into her adulthood, becoming one of those little things we'll reminisce about and smile at."
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