Proving that he’s one of the most relatable parents online, Will Smith has nailed a dilemma that every parent faces: how to build your kids up, but give constructive feedback.
Do we tell our kids the drawing that looks nothing like us is a masterpiece?
Or be honest that they need to work harder on their violin skills, whilst we block our ears listening to them practice?
Or, in Smith’s case, do we praise a cake they’ve decorated, but then turn to the Instagram audience and tell the truth?
This week, the Hollywood A-lister posted footage of his daughter, Willow, 17, happily decorating a cake – well, at least, giving it an excellent shot.
He captioned the post, “Being a parent means knowing when to lie to your kids and when to hit them with the truth…… and when to share the truth with your IG Fam.”
In the footage, Willow starts with icing the cake, and needs assistance (as most of us would), with applying it smoothly. In steps a woman whom Smith calls his “baby mama” – who appears to be Sheree Zampino, the mum of his eldest child, Trey, 25.
After the cake is iced, Willow then decorates it with strawberries and sprinkles on the top – but finds decorating the sides of the cake a little more challenging.
The whole time, Smith, a proud dad, is filming the occasion, and narrating what’s happening.
“Willow’s learning how to frost a cake,” he announces at the start.
After the icing is on, Willow applies the sprinkles, using a method which forces Smith to warn, “You’re about to make a whole mess.”
But then, as Willow continues to basically throw sprinkles at the cake (how on Earth do you do it anyway?), he encourages her by saying, “good job, good job.”
Concerned that her dad is teasing her, Willow asks if he’s making fun of her, and in true dad style, he promises he isn’t – when he actually sort of is.
“I think you’re doing such a good job,” he lies.
The viewer knows Smith is lying, because he says to Willow in final praise, “That is such a good job” – and then turns the camera on to his face, and mouths into it:
“It’s not. It’s not a good job.”
Such a classic dad-move.
The comments section of the post was flooded with laughing emojis, and one person even went so far as to ask Smith, “please run for president.”
Now that would certainly be the, ahem, icing on the cake.