Storytelling is a different kind of art on TikTok.
Stories can be enacted through role-play, voiceovers or to the tune of popular songs from Disney musicals.
One such trend right now is re-enacting stories through a song entitled I Can’t Stop Singing.
And a mum has hopped on the trend to recount how she reacted when she found out her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant.
Mum-of-three Nicole Hennessy, a photographer from Maryland, U.S, often shares life as a parent on the video-sharing platform.
Recently, the 35-year-old explained how she reacted to finding out 17-year-old daughter Angelina was having a baby.
With permission from Angelina, who is now seven months pregnant, Nicole showed how informative and nurturing she was when she found out.
And Nicole’s calm and educational reaction was commended by millions of people who viewed the video.
Nicole’s video has currently been watched more than 13 million times.
In it, she’s seen finding the wrapper to a pregnancy kit and then asking Angelina about it.
Though the teenager brushed it off as a false pregnancy, Nicole decided to buy another kit just to be sure.
The pair later realise that Angelina is indeed pregnant but Nicole doesn’t overreact and asks Angelina which of the three options she would prefer: an abortion, adoption or keeping the baby.
Though the short TikTok video makes it seem pretty simple, in real life, it was a tough moment for Nicole.
She told Metro.co.uk: ‘I felt overwhelmed with feeling immediately, but I told myself if I feel overwhelmed how is she feeling? So I held it together, hugged her and when she was ok I walked outside and cried hard, called my parents and best friends, and therapist.
‘I questioned what I could have done better as a mum, I feared the future for her and felt sadness. Then I pulled myself together and said “okay let’s figure this out together.”‘
Nicole did have some reservations about posting the video, fearing the reaction.
But the reception was mostly positive and people wanted to know more about the family.
Nicole added: ‘I posted another video a while back that had around a million views. It was a silly video about my daughter being pregnant. Many asked for a story time on how I found out and reacted. So with my daughter’s permission, I decided to do it. I summarised how it happened.
‘I’m overwhelmed but not in a bad way. When you make a video you have no idea if it will go viral. I posted it in the middle of the day and by the evening it had millions of views. I was shocked!’
Though most appreciated the content, some did criticise Nicole for her parenting.
But the viral mum is not paying attention to those comments.
She continued: ‘I have received many messages from teens and parents. It has inspired people to open up communication and I am loving that I did that. The bad comments I don’t pay attention to. People will always judge, unfortunately.
‘I do respond to some but in a way, I hope to educate others. I told my daughter no matter what she chooses people will judge so ignore them and focus on what’s best for you.’
Seeing the positive reaction to her parenting, Nicole wants to start a YouTube channel to talk more about family issues.
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