A mom’s TikTok video is going viral after she time lapsed cleaning up after her kids—and her good-for-nothing husband who helped them make all the mess
At this point, there’s just so much research that shows that chores, childcare, and the mental load of running a household fall disproportionately on women in heterosexual relationships, even when both partners work full-time jobs. It’s a well-documented reality, and while some men do step up, the vast majority of them just don’t. One mom’s viral TikTok is a heartbreaking example of being shouldered with being the “default parent” despite having a partner, and we’re only cheering because the mom in the video dumped her useless loser of a husband.
Lynalice Bandy (@5kids5catssomedogstoo on TikTok) shared the powerful time lapse video, which shows her cleaning up her house that has been absolutely wrecked by her five kids and their basically absent dad, who was supposed to be caring for them while she worked six 10-hour days.
@5kids5catssomedogstoo #divorce #parentingfail #messyhouse #whenwomen #depressionanxiety #clean #satifying
♬ SUN GOES DOWN – Andreas Roehrig
After not even a week with her gone, this house (that another fully functional adult also lives in) is cluttered with piles of clothes, trash, and food all over every surface and all the floors. In the time lapse, Bandy painstakingly tidies every room, leaving the house sparkling and spotless at the end.
“I’d like to pretend I’m not the only one who cleans here but as you can see these rooms don’t get much attention when I’m not here,” she wrote in the video’s text overlay. “Every single day I’ve gotten home from work I’ve been met with one disaster to another caused by inattentive parenting.”
She goes on to list some of the messes her soon-to-be ex-husband could have prevented, like shampoo spilled on carpets, nail polish on nugget covers, and a DIY haircut done with kitchen scissors. All of this happened while her husband—the kids’ dad—was in the house and fully capable of engaging with his children, but he was “busy” working on cars instead.
Bandy notes in this video that she has plans to move out of the house, but the housing market in her area is too expensive.
“My soul aches without a place to feel safe and happy,” she writes. Ugh. Our souls ache for her.
In a follow-up video, Bandy reveals that she has moved out (good for her!). But that video shows her back at her ex’s house cleaning it because (surprise!) he still doesn’t bother, and this mom wants any environment her kids spend time in to be clean and safe.
@5kids5catssomedogstoo I am always willing to help when asked #cleaning #cleantok #timelapse #messyroom #depressionhouse #singleparenting #adhd #divorce
♬ Stubborn Love – The Lumineers
We only hope that Bandy finds peace and happiness, and whoever this absolutely useless man is, that he learns to step up for the sake of his kids.
