MY TODDLER WAS WATCHING TV LIKE THIS—AND HIS GESTURE MADE ME TURN IT OFF IMMEDIATELY

At first, I thought it was just cute.

He was standing there in his star-print onesie, hands folded behind his back like a tiny professor, watching The Muppet Christmas Carol with the kind of focus I usually reserve for tax season.

Kermit was talking. Miss Piggy was mid-monologue. And there he stood—motionless.

But the longer he stood there, the weirder it felt.

No blinking. No shifting. Just dead silent, frozen like he was studying the meaning of life from a puppet frog.

I called his name. Nothing.

I waved my hand next to his face. Still nothing.

Then he…

I waved my hand next to his face. Still nothing.

Then he turned his head ever so slightly, just enough to glance at me, but his eyes didn’t leave the screen. The faintest flicker of a smile danced on his lips, but it didn’t feel right. It wasn’t the innocent, playful smile I was used to seeing—it was distant. A little too distant for a two-year-old.