Watch This Dad's Epiphany About How Kids Treat Moms Way Differently Than Dads
He never understood why his wife was always burnt out...
My husband and I always joke about how our daughter’s behavior totally switches depending on who she is hanging out with. Sometimes, she’s a perfect angel — amicable, go-with-the-flow, sweet, and funny. Then other times, she’s channeling her inner Rhoda Penmark (Google it!). One dad noticed that his son acted totally different with his wife than with him, leading to some pretty interesting realizations (that mom already knew, of course).
The TikTok account @workharddadhard could never comprehend why his wife always seemed desperate for a break. When their son was hanging out solo with him, he was perfectly behaved! Was she just being dramatic? I think we all know the answer to this.
It wasn’t until this dad saw a different side of his son that he started to understand that maybe his kid acted totally different with his wife than with him.
“For the longest time, I wondered why my wife was always like, ‘Please, as soon as you can get home from work, whenever you're done, please just come home. I could really use your help here. It's been a long day,’” he admitted.
“Because anytime I had my son by myself at home, he's just angel and would play by himself. And it's kind of like, it's not that big of a deal, but then I saw it. I was here during the day, watching our son just do things that he never, ever did with me, and it was crazy. Our kid acts completely different around his mom than he does his dad. And this was something that just kind of blew my mind. I was not expecting it to be so different how my son would treat my wife versus how he treats me.”
He added in the caption, “When I was home, our son would play by himself, ask for things nicely, but then when it was just mom, things changed…”
After his video went viral, several moms commented on the clip, sharing their thoughts as well as noting that this kind of realization is still lost on many dads.
“Dads and grandparents are completely oblivious to this,” one user wrote.
“A lot of Dads are not aware of this,” another wrote.
“TAG THEM!” the OP replied.
Other moms totally resonated with the OP’s wife, feeling her touched-out, burnt-out feelings of never really being understood by their spouse while also navigating the neediness of kids .
“Sir, on behalf of all the mothers in the world. WE ARE EXHAUSTED 😩😂” one mom wrote.
Another said, “My baby WILL NOT LEAVE ME ALONE all day long. I pass him off to Dad when he gets home so I can make supper and what do I always find? Baby happy as a clam to play independently and husband relaxing on the couch. 🤦♀️”
“My children are insanely needy for me, but wildly independent problem solvers with my husband,” another said.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why this dynamic could be the case for many families. Typically, kids act out the most with whoever they are most comfortable with. They know their feelings and big emotions are safe with mom because mom’s the one who is usually around the most, meeting their needs, giving hugs and baths and bedtime stories. They can be their authentic selves with their moms, who they feel safest with.
So basically, moms just need to stop being so amazing at everything, and the kids will stop needing them. JUST KIDDING! Dads need to step it the f**k up, get on par with mom, and be that equally safe outlet so mom can get a break.
