Runaway Toddler Derails Dad's Marriage Proposal in Hilarious Video

Heartwarming footage of an adventurous toddler hijacking his dad's marriage proposal has surfaced online with fans claiming it's the perfect snapshot of life as a parent.

As William Shakespeare once wrote: "The course of true love never did run smooth." That certainly appears to have been the case for Emily Temple and her family.

Emily's partner went all out to plan the perfect way to pop the question, even getting their young child to hand him the ring as they strolled along an idyllic beach. However, as the video uploaded to TikTok by Temple shows, it didn't quite go according to plan.

After eventually passing off the ring to his dad, the outgoing tot made a dash for it, heading off in the direction of the sea.

His dad, to his credit, tried to roll with the punches, getting down on one knee in front of Temple to ask the big question.

He appeared to have been granted a brief reprieve, too, after the toddler fell onto the sand, giving him an extra few seconds to tell Temple how much she means to him.

Soon enough, though, the toddler was back on his feet and heading at high speed for the crashing waves.

With time very much against them, Temple's boyfriend wrapped up his proposal.

Thankfully, it would appear that her answer was never in doubt and, after sharing a warm embrace, the couple dashed off in the direction of their absconding son.

Reaching the young child just before he hit the water, the toddler's dad lifted him into his arms before the family headed back to dry land happy, if slightly relieved. The video can be viewed here.

Writing alongside the clip, Temple described it as the "best weekend ever." Although she acknowledged her other half "had to cut it short to catch our wild baby," she said she "wouldn't want it any other way."

Footage of the family's adorable moment has proved hugely popular on TikTok, where it has racked up more than 4.7 million views. The clip was also reposted to Twitter where it has been watched a further 3.1 million times, earning over 17,000 retweets and 87,000 likes.

TikTok user CLandingham226 said the clip was "so cute," while admitting she was thinking "but the baby ... the baby" the entire time. Szleszinski loved the video, too, writing: "This should be a commercial showing what it's like to be parents. You have 30 seconds to do you."

CraftyHearts1 agreed with the sentiment. "Literally life with kids ... can't just have a moment," they said, adding: "Congratulations!!"

Btownstl, meanwhile, said it was the "best proposal" she had ever seen. "Loved watching you both run after your baby!! Congratulations." Lupe Rodriguez felt similarly, dubbing it the "cutest proposal ever" while acknowledging she was "having a heart attack" on account of the quickly escaping baby.

One of the most profound responses came from TikTokMom2089, who simply said: "Perfectly imperfect moments are the best memories!"

Newsweek has contacted Temple for comment.

It was previously thought that couples who had kids before marriage were more likely to get divorced. However, a 2015 study from Cornell University actually found there was little difference between those who tied the knot beforehand and those who didn't.

Researchers examined data related to couples who had children between 1985 and 1995, comparing it with parents from the period 1997 to 2010.

Survey responses from around 3,000 cohabiting or married couples from each of the two periods found couples from 1985 to 1995 who lived together, had a child and then married were 60 percent more likely to divorce than couples who married before having a baby.

Yet, by contrast, couples from 1997 to 2010 who had a child first and then later went on to marry were found to have no higher a chance of divorce than those who married without living together first

Lead researcher Kelly Musick, an associate professor of policy analysis and management at Cornell, attributed the shift to the fact that "there's less social pressure now to marry [before having children]."

"Couples are establishing their relationships and maybe considering marriage, but not worrying so much about marriage before starting a family," she said.

Marriage proposals remain a source of viral video gold online, whether it's a would-be bride complaining about her other half's use of rose petals or the man who hijacked a friend's wedding to pop the question.

Update 01/14/22, 4:35 a.m. ET: This article was updated with a new video and picture.