--- title: Kid Proves Practice Doesn’t Make Perfect In School Pictures description: This adorable kid proves that practice doesn't always make perfect, at least in school photos canonical: https://time.com/5727141/viral-school-day-picture/ author: Melissa Locker article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-11-15T15:30:02.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T08:01:03.136Z og:title: Intense Kid Proves Practice Doesn’t Make Perfect In School Pictures og:description: Nailed it. og:url: https://time.com/5727141/viral-school-day-picture/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8a0a26f4e227019d/698a061722fb852497e2a28c/camera.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2121 og:image:height: 1193 og:image:alt: Close-Up Of Man Holding Camera og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Intense Kid Proves Practice Doesn’t Make Perfect In School Pictures twitter:description: Nailed it. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8a0a26f4e227019d/698a061722fb852497e2a28c/camera.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Adorable Kid Goes Viral for Intense State in Picture Day Photos Worth a Thousand Words > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=6b82cdff-aeda-4544-90e8-1d80c7865b46&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=6b82cdff-aeda-4544-90e8-1d80c7865b46&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=6b82cdff-aeda-4544-90e8-1d80c7865b46&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Nov 15, 2019 3:30 PM UTC  Photo Taken In Bangkok, Thailand Photo Taken In Bangkok, Thailand Getty Images by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Nov 15, 2019 3:30 PM UTC They say that practice makes perfect, but things don’t always go as planned as was the case for this adorable little kid. Twitter user [Ariel Raine shared](https://twitter.com/arielraineh/status/1194120342807175168) her sister’s story and it’s one that every parent can relate to. Her sister had been preparing her nephew for [school photos](https://time.com/5363259/back-to-school-photo-viral/) by practicing smiling on command. In the practice [photos](https://time.com/5623930/keanu-reeves-yearbook-photo/), the kid looks adorable, flashing just the sort of slightly toothy grin that every parent would be thrilled to share with eager relatives and perhaps less eager grocers and dentists or anyone who asks about the kiddo. It looked like the kid was ready to rock school picture day and ensure that his mom would have an array of smiling photos to choose from after the camera clicked. But it didn’t turn out like that on gameday. Like many people, when it came time to strike a pose in front of the camera, all that preparation seemed to go straight out the window. Despite all the practice, the kid apparently forgot what he and his mom rehearsed the second the camera was pointed at him. The results were a series of [photos](http://100photos.time.com/) that went from dead serious to intense stare to shy smile sans teeth. In short, they were photos that any auntie would love as made clear when his aunt tweeted them and shared them with the world. > [](https://twitter.com/arielraineh/status/1194120342807175168) They quickly went viral with people commiserating, laughing, and sharing photos of their own. It just goes to show that while practice may not make perfect, it can make for a very good laugh. > [](https://twitter.com/please%5Fgtfo/status/1194471056435810304) > [](https://twitter.com/aaliyahnicholeg/status/1194436843158298624) > [](https://twitter.com/ayonaxo/status/1194482412446720000) > [](https://twitter.com/bitchinperalta/status/1194649391933657088) > [](https://twitter.com/beautifal%5F/status/1194628937957044226) > [](https://twitter.com/BBCMaryam/status/1194526455075655680) > [](https://twitter.com/ThatVainNigga/status/1194617815858372608) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5727141/viral-school-day-picture/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5727141/viral-school-day-picture/"},"headline":"Adorable Kid Goes Viral for Intense State in Picture Day Photos Worth a Thousand Words","datePublished":"2019-11-15T15:30:02.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:01:03.136Z","description":"Nailed it!","url":"https://time.com/5727141/viral-school-day-picture/","keywords":["Newsfeed","viral"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8a0a26f4e227019d/698a061722fb852497e2a28c/camera.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Locker","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8a0a26f4e227019d/698a061722fb852497e2a28c/camera.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Close-Up Of Man Holding Camera","caption":"Camera","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5727141/viral-school-day-picture/","name":"Adorable Kid Goes Viral for Intense State in Picture Day Photos Worth a Thousand Words"}}]}] ```