This mom’s increasingly unhinged list of school theme days is a familiar nightmare to every parent everywhere
Ugh, school theme week. Maybe your kid’s school calls it “Spirit Week” or “Red Ribbon Week” or “Rally Days” or “Something-Awareness-Week”—it’s still the same. The announcement will be last minute, and you’ll be required to dress your kid to fit a theme day that requires clothing that no sane or rational person just has on hand. And one mom’s unhinged TikTok video captures all the insanity so perfectly, parents everywhere will be nodding along.
TikToker and comedy writer mom Hayley DeRoche (who you may remember from her list of things she thought she’d enjoy doing with kids before she had kids) has now brought us this gem: an increasingly ridiculous list of school theme day ideas that honestly aren’t even that far off from the real thing.
The whole video has this familiar text overlaid: “School emails at 11PM,” because we all know that having more than a few hours notice of a theme day is just not an option.
@sadbeige They cannot be stopped they will not be stopped #momlife #parenting #schoolspirit
♬ original sound – Hayley
Some of the themes DeRoche lists?
“Send your child to school as Rasputin.”
“Send your child to school dressed as a war criminal.”
“It’s all the single ladies’ day, so send your child to school dressed as a Kraft Single.”
“Send your child to school inside a cake.”
“Send your child to school dressed as your favorite Reddit AITA post.”
“Send your child to school as divorce.”
“Send your child to school as good oral hygiene.”
The list goes on. And on. And on. Just like those freakin’ theme days while we count the minutes until they’re over.
In the comments, parents are weighing in with their own relatable theme day nightmares.
“9pm last Thursday as my son was drifting off to sleep he mentioned he had to wear all yellow the following day,” one mom who deserves a stiff drink commented.
Another wrote, “Back up, can you reuse the Rasputin costume on Romanov Day or no?”
Obviously no.
Parents everywhere sigh in tandem—but hey, at least you’re not alone in any of these struggles. Happy theme week!
