What to Know
When TikTok mom Sarah Peterson took to social media to share how many times her husband interrupted her as she got ready, she dubbed it “mom humor.” But a lot of people didn’t find it funny. As Sarah applied her makeup and got ready for the day (and attempted to film content), her husband was tasked with “watching” his own baby.
In less than 15 minutes, he managed to interrupt his wife five times. What was maybe meant to portray a lighthearted “dad fail” sparked a larger conversation about men “babysitting” their own children and actually made some people angry.
15 minutes of alone time was apparently too much.
Can’t a mom catch a break? Unfortunately, maybe not. In Sarah’s video, she couldn’t even get a few minutes to herself without interruptions. And given how Sarah started the video, it seems like this might be a pattern. “Let’s see how many times my husband says, ‘Let’s go see what mommy’s doing,'” she said before she started applying her makeup.
Within a minute, the dad appeared with their baby and asked his wife what she was doing. She explained that she was filming a “Get Ready with Me” video. A couple minutes later, the dad appeared once again. Then, a few minutes later, he showed up again with their baby in tow and said, “She needs to eat and you’re the source.”
Sarah responded with, “She’s not hungry. I promise you she’s not hungry.” When he appeared for the fourth time in less than 10 minutes, he told his wife that he wouldn’t “bother her.” That didn’t stop him from interrupting a fifth time though.
“That was a lot,” she concluded at the end of the video.
@sarahgraysun That was a bit excessive..😭 #momlife #momsoftiktok #momhumor ♬ original sound – Sarah Petersen
In the caption, she also wrote that her husband’s interruptions were “a bit excessive.” A lot of people didn’t see the humor in it though, and Sarah turned off commenting on the video. A couple days later, when Sarah shared a totally unrelated video, people criticized her husband there instead. Of course, the clip was short and we don’t know the whole story — but people were not impressed.
“How much times did ur husband come in and bother u while getting ready 😭” one person wrote. Another person warned the young mom that things probably won’t get better for her. “girl, leave now. he couldn’t even give you 15 minutes for yourself. it will NOT get better. I promise,” they commented.
Others had an issue with the way the dad seemed to be “babysitting” his own child instead of just being a parent. “I can almost 100% guarantee that if he was gaming or he was doing something else he enjoyed and you did that he would get upset. What is he a babysitter?” someone else pointed out. “He should be able to handle your daughter by himself while you do whatever you gotta do.”
Another creator also responded to Sarah’s video.
@lifecoachshawn A new mom @Sarah Petersen shares what it’s like trying to get a few minutes to herself while her husband is with their infant daughter. Here’s why I don’t think this is mom humor as she suggested in her caption. #newmom #newparents #newdad #parenting #marriage ♬ original sound – Shawnda
A content creator named Shawnda (@lifecoachshawnda on TikTok) couldn’t believe how “that man came in there five times within a 13-minute span.” She also pointed out that the mom clearly appeared to be busy, but that didn’t stop her husband from interrupting her.
“Once she told him within the first minute or two that she was filming a ‘Get Ready with Me,’ the fact that he just kept coming in there over and over and over again…” Shawnda said, adding that the dad “threw in a little bit of mom guilt” when he mentioned that their baby felt hungry.
What bothered her the most, however, was the “phrasing” used:
“He’s watching the child while I do this.” Shawnda argued that this makes it sound like the dad was doing his wife a favor. “He’s not watching the child,” she said. “He’s spending time with your daughter that you two share.”
She doesn’t believe that those who warned Sarah about this dynamic are “bitter.” They’ve just witnessed this pattern play out before. “Acting as if a man is doing you some kind of favor for spending time with his own child while you do anything for yourself will prove to be problematic in your future,” Shawnda said.
“…I’m sure he’s able to play video games, watch sports, or do whatever he wants to do that’s just for him without you disturbing him multiple times. You should be able to do the same.”
