A mother posted a video of her preparing breakfast for her one-year-old child, but what she served her daughter blew up the internet. Alexandra Sabol, the mother behind the viral video, garnered up to 12.3 million views after she was seen giving her child three small powdered doughnuts with a fruit sauce packet.
The breakfast had many people in shock, with some calling the TikTok mother a “lazy parent” and accusing her of giving her child an unhealthy meal. Others told her that making eggs and fruit would have taken less effort and been more nutritious at the same time.
Sabol’s video was filled with negative comments that went as far as calling her a “bare minimum” parent. People insinuated that her baby deserved more and told the mother that she needed to do better. “This can’t be real,” reacted a commenter.
The video even gained Sabol the tag “Doughnut Mom” and sparked many debates about the expectations and standards that are put on mothers. Eventually, another TikToker, Bailey McPher, came to Sabol’s defense.
McPher spoke about the double standards that were taking place as the “Doughnut Mom” saga unfolded. She pointed out that people were most likely to criticize a mother, like Sabol, who did not have the biggest following or meet the expected beauty and body standards of the well-known mom influencers.
The TikTok user continued to emphasize that there are many times when influencers have filled their shopping carts with groceries worth hundreds of dollars and have some of the unhealthiest items. But since they are deemed as “skinny,” it is easy to overlook these things and notice it in the mother, who is authentically showing a day in her life.
McPher reasoned that some days were better than others for mothers. “I’m a mum, and yet, sometimes you know what [my daughter] eats? Cake pops, doughnuts, french fries, cookies because she deserves to live a little bit because sometimes, while it’s not the best, sometimes, mums, we’re not at our best. Sometimes, we lack a little bit,” expressed the mother.
McPher realized that Sabol was being judged for one video and wished people had looked through her profile before making her out to be a “bare minimum” parent.
The TikToker was saddened at the mean comments Sabol received and admitted that as she went through the comment section, she unfollowed other mutual mothers who were being unkind and judgmental towards Sabol.
In the end, McPher wanted to come to Sabol’s defense because she felt sorry about how she had been painted as a bad mother over a one-minute video. She wanted her clip to be a reminder that some days, mothers are not at their best but do what they can to be there for their children.
Bailey McPher defending Alexandra Sabol on TikTok | Source: TikTok.com/ bmcpher
She reiterated that it was not healthy to feed a child doughnuts and fruit sauce every day, but it was important to consider the context and not judge a person’s parenting based on a video that only gives you a glimpse of a few seconds into their lives.
McPher urged people to introspect. She reiterated that writing off people as bad parents only added to the judgment mothers endured and made it difficult for others to showcase some of the realistic and not-so-perfect moments in their lives.
Did you like this story? Here is another one about a mother who divided the internet because she punished her daughter for not folding laundry.
For some parents, completing chores is non-negotiable, and this was the case of a Mexican-American mother with the TikTok handle @lifewithruthandjordan.
Ruth’s daughter | Source: TikTok.com/ @lifewithruthandjordan.
The mother posted a video of her child folding clothes with the caption, “Emma thought it was OK to tell me she didn’t feel like folding her clothes before going out to play with her little friends.”
Ruth followed up on the caption, stating that she canceled her daughter’s playdate and scheduled it for the next day. She emphasized that it was important for her not to let her children do whatever they wanted.
The mother added, “They’ll eat you alive as teens if they don’t comprehend that they need to contribute to household chores, more so when it’s their clothes.” By the look of things, Ruth stood her ground, and her daughter fulfilled her duties.
Ruth’s daughter | Source: TikTok.com/ @lifewithruthandjordan.
However, the Mexican-American mother had the internet split, as not everyone agreed with how she handled the situation. Some commenters did not see the lesson in Ruth’s punishment and wondered if she would have chosen folding clothes over going on a play date.
While others understood that Ruth’s daughter needed to complete her chores, they still felt like the mother could have at least moved the playdate to later in the day and not canceled it completely. “I am very glad at this moment that my mother is not like that,” remarked a commenter.
Ruth’s daughter | Source: TikTok.com/ @lifewithruthandjordan.
Some netizens thought Ruth’s punishment might affect her daughter negatively in the future and make her associate folding clothes with bad memories. Another commenter thought the mother was a bit too strict. “You need to chill,” wrote the TikTok user.
People felt bad for the little girl, who was seen looking sad in the video as she folded through the pile of laundry. One commenter remarked, “My mom did this. I did not thank her later.”
While commenters did not agree with canceling the playdate, some thought it was also unacceptable for the mother to decide to film her child after punishing her. But Ruth also had many people support her parental decision. Netizens believed it was a great way of teaching children the value of taking care of their belongings.
Ruth’s daughter | Source: TikTok.com/ @lifewithruthandjordan.
Commenters who remembered being taught the same lesson said it was a great way to learn responsibility. “Responsibilities first, play second.” reiterated a TikTok user. Others said they would be following Ruth because she was the kind of mother who taught important life lessons to her children.
Therefore, to others, this did not seem like a punishment but a way to take accountability, which was something an elementary teacher in the comment section also appreciated.
Ruth was surprised by all the negative comments she received. To her, everyone in her house needed to contribute to the house, whether that was with their chores, taking care of their things, or even having respect for their parents.
The video the mother posted garnered over 140,000 comments and millions of views. Evidently, parental styles can become controversial, but each parent has a different way of teaching a specific lesson.
Enjoyed the story? Here is another one about a daughter who got tired of listening to her mother’s humiliating comments and decided to put a stop to it.