For some strange reason, things that are glaringly obvious to moms tend to be invisible to everyone else. Weird, I know.
Things like the dirty dishes in the sink, or the ever-growing mountain of laundry, or that one lonely sock abandoned on the middle stair.
And more often than not, moms will just deal with it and no one in the house is any wiser. In fact, moms are so good at being the “default” parent that oftentimes, their families are completely oblivious to just how much she does for them. Until she doesn’t.
After her husband accused her of “doing nothing around the house,” one mom decided to show him just how much “nothing” she really does. And unsurprisingly, it’s A LOT.
Mom Goes on Strike
A Connecticut mother of two recently went insanely viral on TikTok for going on “strike” after her husband, Brian, made a “totally spontaneous” complaint that she wasn’t pulling her weight. Bless him.
“The night he made the comment, I was getting the kids ready for bed, and he was cleaning up in the kitchen,” Lindsay Donnelly told TODAY. “I noticed he was kind of grumpy and I was like, ‘What’s going on?’ And that’s when he made the comment about me doing nothing around the house.”
Rather than argue with him, she decided to teach him a much-needed lesson. For three days, Donnelly truly did NOTHING around the house. And the results are about as disastrous as you’d expect.
Perfectly set to Taylor Swift’s Karma, Donnelly, 33, documented what happened after she silently quit all of it — the dirty dishes, the piles of laundry in the living room, the multiple messes literally everywhere.
Over the course of three days, her once invisible labor became painfully, overwhelmingly visible.
Then she left town on a girls’ trip, leaving Brian to deal with the fallout. Checkmate.
Donnelly told TODAY that she and Brian both have full-time jobs. She runs a social media marketing agency and he works in venture capital. They have been married for 7 years and have two kids, 7 and 4 years old.
She also added that his dig was a reaction to the typical stress of trying to juggle parenting, work, and household duties, something they do try to divvy up equally. “It wasn’t an ongoing fight. It’s more of the day-to-day ‘keeping a house in order with two working parents and two little kids’ conversation.”
A Husband Sees the Error of His Ways
By the time Donnelly returned home from her weekend away, not only was the house “spick-and-span” but so was her car.
“He told me he was sorry,” Donnelly said.
He also apologized to her legion of TikTok fans in a follow-up video where Donnelly sits him down to share the news that his comment and her ensuing strike were viewed by MILLIONS of people. 20.7 million to be exact.
She also informed him that more than 8,000 commenters were quick to hop aboard the divorce wagon, which she doesn’t plan on doing by the way.
Brian took it all in stride and the two were able to laugh and find the humor in the situation. A good sign of a healthy relationship.
“He really is an amazing husband. That was just one moment,” Donnelly said.
Donnelly’s strike wasn’t just a retaliation; it was a statement.
“I’m constantly tidying — I’m picking up shoes, I’m doing all these things that go unnoticed but add up to a lot,” she said.
I think it’s safe to say they won’t go unnoticed anymore.
The reality is that women in our society tend to carry a disproportionate load when it comes to parenting and household duties. Much of which is unseen. It’s why there is so much talk about the “invisible labor” and the “mental load” of motherhood.
But regardless of whether or not this is the case in the Donnelly’s house, we all deserve to feel seen and valued. And not just at home.
Acknowledgment and appreciation go a long way in all aspects of our lives, including in our relationships, at work, and in our interactions with others.
Donnelly’s strike wasn’t just a learning moment for her husband, it was one for all of us. A reminder to take a moment to appreciate the people around us, who contribute in so many silent ways, often without recognition or fanfare, to make our worlds a better place.
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