That wasn’t on the menu. In a TikTok video, a woman, who was identified as Natasha Emeny by multiple outlets, showed her toddler son’s face covered in a grey matter. That substance, she later revealed, was actually her dad’s ashes.
“Oh my God. When your son eats your dad, his ashes. My son has eaten my dad’s ashes,” Emeny said in the viral TikTok video that’s been viewed nearly 14 million times.
After her initial clip when viral, Emeny filmed another video to answer some questions.
In that TikTok, Emeny explained that the urn containing her dad’s ashes hadn’t always been within her son’s reach. However, she had new flooring put down and temporarily moved it to a lower shelf. It had been there for 24 hours and her son hadn’t paid it any mind.
“I came upstairs to bring some washing, went back down a few minutes later, and he had had it all over his mouth,” she recounted. “… I was in complete shock and mortified. Absolutely mortified. I don’t think he’s eaten that much. He’s obviously tasted it and then spat it out and play with it… I actually rang my sister crying in shock, didn’t know what to do.”
After tearful calls to her mom and sister, Emeny recalled the video she took and thought, “Why not stick on TikTok and have a laugh about it? What else is there to do in that situation unless you’re gonna cry about it?”
Toddlers Keep Eating Their Grandfathers’ Ashes
Then, in another follow up video, Emeny responded to a comment saying her son was “too young to be left unattended” and insisting she should be “thankful” that he hasn’t died from neglect.
“He thankfully hasn’t died from neglect,” she said. “I’m sure everyone makes mistakes and leaves things in the wrong places, thinks they’re going to be OK, carries on about the day, gets on with things that are important, and then accidents happen.”
“Yes, I made a mistake. I left it in a place where he accidentally got it. But how are people doing jobs like housework, work, cooking, cleaning, going to the toilet, with a toddler as a single parent without leaving them for a few minutes?” Emeny questioned. “Can somebody explain how, please? Do I just wear them as a backpack from now on?”
As for how the tot is faring after his unlikely snack, Emeny told The Sun that he is “absolutely fine” since he “didn’t consume too much,” according to Daily Mail.
Speaking to Caters News Service, Emeny said she’s still trying to process the situation, the New York Post reported.
“He never met [his grandfather], but now they are always together!” she said. “[My dad]… definitely would have laughed. We all love a bit of dark humor.”
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