Mum-of-four's 'parenting fail' post goes viral for all the right reasons
Words: Kristine Tarbert
An Australian mum has been praised online for sharing a completely ‘real’ post about parenting.
Mum-of-four Carly Hall, who comes from Sydney, took to a Facebook group for mothers to share an image of her young children at a local cafe.
Alongside the image she shared an honest post about how they got there, wanting “to cheer anyone up if they think they’re failing as a mum today”.
“I slept in and just couldn’t get my 7-year-old ready for school today. So she just didn’t go… then I got two of them slurpees, while the younger two slept, just so I could have a coffee in peace (on a separate table), and scroll through Facebook while ignoring them,” she said in the post.
“Thought you might like to use this as a yardstick.”
Carly’s completely relatable post received an overwhelming amount of positive responses from mothers everywhere, something she admits she wasn’t expecting.
“I was just hoping that the post would give a few mums a laugh, especially younger or first-time mums who are really hard on themselves,” Carly told Yahoo Lifestyle Australia.
“I’m happy to be a lower benchmark for people and I also think people just enjoyed some realness.”
Carly, who has a seven-year-old, four-year-old, two-year-old, and 12 week-old, admits she didn’t really think twice before deciding to post the image.
“To be honest I didn’t really think about it,” she tells us. “But I think I’m now in a place where I wouldn’t care anyway.”
But it was clear her words hit the mark with hundreds of parents.
“I think people love actual self deprecation – as opposed to the humble brag,” she says.
“I also think everyone thinks everyone else has got it together … it’s reassuring to see that they don’t!”
Despite what one might usually expect from the internet, of the hundreds of comments on the post, the vast majority were positive, supportive, and grateful for Carly’s honesty.
“This is the stuff we do that stops us going nuts,” was one comment. “It’s nice to see other mums sharing their not so ‘perfect’ days. There a lot of fake Instagram moments that can make us feel like we are really screwing up, when really, no one really has any real clue. We are all flying by the seats of our pants.”
“Finally… someone who doesn’t post about their perfect life,” another person agreed.
“Good on you for sharing! And you know what, everyone was happy! Sometimes, a little me-time over a good coffee, is enough to recover your sanity. And as a mother of 4, you deserve a medal anyway,” was another supportive comment.
“I’m just impressed you got five people out of the house,” wrote one person.
Hear, hear.
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for non-stop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyleUK.
Read more from Yahoo Style UK:
85% of mums suffer from anxiety or other mental health issues, new stats reveal
Breastfeeding rates have dropped across England, new figures reveal
Would you delay your ‘summer baby’ starting school for a year?
