Funny toddler gives her dad the ultimate nail salon experience in viral video
Texas dad Emeka Ihedigbo is nailing fatherhood.
“Walked in on my husband’s nail appointment with our toddler,” Ihedigbo’s wife Nika Diwa captioned a now-viral TikTok video.
In the clip, Ihedigbo plays the part of client and wears extra-long extensions crafted from pink and orange drinking straws. Ihedigbo’s 3-year-old daughter, Zizi, is the manicurist — and she's sassy!
When Ihedigbo flags a paint smudge, Zizi swiftly shuts him down.
“I’d never be one to question your work…” Ihedigbo says, to which Zizi responds, “cause you’re not being careful.”
“You’re not being careful,” the toddler repeats. “So that’s not my fault.”
“Are we gonna get this one fixed? Yes or no?” Ihedigbo asks.
Zizi informs that that it will cost him extra.
“You have to take care of yourself,” she reminds her dad. And then another pearl of wisdom: “Just do your best, that’s all that matters.”
The scene melted the heart of Zizi's mom, who was filming.
“These are things she’s going to remember when she’s older,” Diwa, 34, tells TODAY.com. “She’s not gonna remember the toys. She’s going to remember that her parents poured time into her.”
When Zizi became a big sister in 2023, her mom started taking her on regular manicure dates. Zizi was a “little jealous” about the baby and started “acting up,” according to Diwa.
“Zizi’s love language is quality time, so I was like, I’m gonna take her to the salon just the two of us,” Diwa says. “And it became her favorite thing!”
Diwa notes that Zizi likes listening to all the chatter in the nail salon, which is likely why the girl sounds like a real tech.
"She's very observant," Diwa says.
Ihedigbo also carves out regular one-on-one time with his daughters Zizi and Zuri, 9 months. (She’s the baby chilling on the floor in the TikTok video!)
“My parents were super, super busy and we didn’t have a real closeness,” Ihedigbo tells TODAY.com. “So my wife and I have made a really concerted and deliberate effort to do things differently.”
“We want our girls to know that no matter what, we’re gonna be there for them, he adds.
The family’s TikTok video has been seen more than 30 million times since it was posted on March 10.
“Omg, she sounds like an actual nail tech too! That’s how they talk to you,” one person commented.
Added another, "she’s going to remember this forever. girl dads matter."
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
