Let’s just call it a trip, shall we?
For moms, family vacations often aren’t vacations at all (case in point: the viral mom who spent months planning her family’s big Disney trip only to wonder what it was like for her husband to just show up). Moms already shoulder most of the childcare, household chores, and mental and emotional labor in heterosexual partnerships, and vacation is no different—too many dads head off to hit the golf course while mom is left to entertain kids, schedule activities, and plan meals.
Writer and mom Taylor Wolfe’s viral video is a perfect illustration of this. In it, she parodies a toddler mom on a family vacation, alternating between gushing about the memories her family is creating and having an absolute breakdown because caring for a toddler on a trip is objectively harder than doing it at home.
“I’m having so much fun, I’m so glad we did this. Traveling with a toddler is hard, but it’s worth it,” she says in the beginning of the video.
Cut to the next scene, which shows Wolfe collapsed on the floor outside a hotel room door, saying, “She’s not down yet. That’s why I’m sitting here. IT’S NOT DARK ENOUGH!”
Cue grateful Wolfe, who explains, “We’re all in different seasons of life and this is a short one. It’s hard but it’s worth it.”
Then, Wolfe frantically digging through a suitcase explosion, muttering to herself, “I can’t find anything in this f*cking suitcase. No, the sippy with the straw! It’s her sippy or she’s not going to go to sleep. Son of a b*tch.”
Wolfe continues alternating back and forth, eventually reaching that existential point where she questions herself as a mom.
“I’m not good at this,” she says, just a moment after exclaiming, “I’m such a good mom.”
Yeah, every sleep-deprived mom on a “vacation” has been there.
There is hope, though—toddlers eventually become kids who can (mostly) feed and entertain themselves. That’s when vacations really start for moms, and that day is coming—hang in there!
