We all know that babies’ brains haven’t quite reached the complexity of their parents’. That’s why babies can’t talk – they just make noises to react to what’s going on around them.

But, undeveloped or not, babies are still humans. New parents may feel certain that their little one can understand what they’re saying, even if they can’t respond back to them.

And then there are the babies who actually seem to be able to talk back to their parents – but whether they’re making a coincidental burble that just happens to sound like a word is up for debate.

One of the latest videos that people can’t make up their minds about is of an 8-week old little girl who appears to be saying “I love you” to her mom.

Now, at 8 weeks old, this adorable baby shouldn’t be anywhere close to uttering her first word. Most babies start to talk at around the 12-month mark, according to WebMD, but it can sometimes be even later than that.

Of course, people had a lot to say about the little girl’s babble.

One viewer commented,

“Aww the baby is so adorable she seriously said I love you.”

While another viewer wasn’t so sure, and commented:

“Who else didn’t hear it?!”

The video has racked up more than 8 million views, and as super-cute as the little girl on camera is, it’s likely that the real attention has come from the philosophical question it leaves us all asking: can babies really speak and understand at such a young age? And should this mean we’re more mindful about how we speak to our kids going forward?

Whether this little girl really is saying “I love you” or not is something we’ll never quite know for sure (it’s not like we can ask her to check, after all). But what isn’t debatable is the importance of communicating the right way with our little ones right from the very moment they’re born.

Talking to your baby can help her to develop more quickly. According to an article by The Atlantic:

“If everyone talked to their young children the same amount, there would be no racial or socioeconomic gap at all.”

Making the time to speak to your baby throughout the day is easy, but knowing what to say is the real problem many new parents face. But you don’t need to discuss anything too meaningful with your bub, like world politics or whether The Simpsons really can predict the future. Just telling them about your day and narrating what’s going on around you is enough.

Reading aloud to your baby is also a great way to communicate, and may even encourage them to be readers themselves as they grow up.

You can play the video for yourself to see whether you think this little girl really is saying “I love you”. You might need to play it more than once and turn your volume up loud, or it might be clear to you either way.

Just remember that as with the optical illusion blue and black/white and gold dress that had the internet arguing for weeks a few years back, there probably isn’t a right or wrong answer.

Scroll down to check out the video below.

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Source: Shareably, WebMD, Tim Hamilton, The Atlantic