A conversation between a mom and her young daughter has gone viral on TikTok, amassing almost 337,000 views.
The clip captures the moment 6‑year‑old Ruby confidently explains the sort of man she hopes to marry one day—and it wasn’t the answer anyone expected.
In the video, Ruby’s mom Abbie (@app97xxx) asks whether she’d like to date a doctor when she’s older. Ruby, arms crossed in her pink pajamas, immediately says no.
“Who do you want to be with when you’re a big lady then?” her mom, who is based in England, asks.
Ruby replies: “a gangster,” leaving the internet in stitches.
Her shocked mom tells her, “that’s not good,” but Ruby pushes back: “it’s my life, my choice.”
Abbie then playfully captioned the clip “raising Ruby Kray,” a nod to the notorious east London brothers Ronnie and Reggie Kray, whose criminal empire turned them into unlikely celebrities of the 1960s.
Who Were the Krays?
According to London Museum, the pair used intimidation to run protection rackets and nightclubs in the East and West End. As their reputation grew, they mixed with popular celebrities, and even the fashion photographer David Bailey took their photo. But after being convicted for murder in 1969, the Kray Twins were sentenced to life in prison.
The light‑hearted TikTok moment lands at a time when many parents think deeply about the traits they hope their children will develop.
According to a January 2023 report from Pew Research Center, parents place the greatest importance on their children growing up to be honest and ethical. Two‑thirds (66 percent) say this is extremely important.
About half (48 percent) feel the same about raising hardworking adults, while around four in ten emphasize the importance of their children being accepting of people who are different (42 percent) or helping others in need (40 percent).
Only 27 percent place that level of importance on ambition. Still, between 65 percent and 94 percent of parents say each of these traits is at least very important for their children to develop as adults.
TikTok Reacts
The February 7 clip has racked up 33,200 likes and nearly 500 comments at the time of writing, with viewers sharing their own kids’ unfiltered declarations.
“’My life my choice,’ you’re so right queen go get your gangster,” wrote one user.
Another parent added: “That’s hilarious that it’s just come on my fyp, my son blurted out in the middle of Sainsbury’s yesterday that he ‘wants to be a [gangster] when he’s older,” adding that he is “a little softie really, the most lovable sweet boy ever.”
One commenter said they weren’t alone in their household either: “I am also raising a reincarnated Kray, two actually, referred to as Ronnie and Reggie daily. She can take them both off my hands when she’s bigger.”
Newsweek is waiting for Abbie to provide a comment.
