10
Loading video...
By Daniella Gray
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
An aunt from Georgia is going viral for her creative solution to help her sister with childcare.
Melasadies Worrell, 30, posted a clip on TikTok of her keeping an eye on her sister's kids on FaceTime, allowing her a much-needed shower.
Her sister, Kiara Brown, was heading out for 25th birthday celebrations with her new husband. Worrell wasn't granted any more vacation days since she had just visited for her sister's wedding weekend, but was keen to help her out as much as she could.
Read More on Family & Parenting
...
Brown's husband was at work, and she needed to be ready for their post-shift birthday plans. With no one around to watch her two sons—a 4-year-old and a 4-month-old— her sister stepped in virtually.
"She just put [her youngest] to sleep and I told her to leave the phone in front of him, connect me to her speaker in the bathroom and I would say something if he started to move or cry," Worrell explained.
He was sleeping on the couch with a pullout portion in front which wasn't visible on camera, so if he rolled, he would be fine until she got back, she added.
"I am a long-distance aunt, but my family was always raised to be super close, so I call and speak with them all the time. When I cannot make it home, I will literally sit on FaceTime with them and talk to them or watch them for my sisters—whatever helps," she said.
Worrell knew how little time her sister gets for herself and wanted to ease her stress in any way possible.
"She felt a sense of peace knowing that I was there watching them, even if I couldn't physically do anything. But I could scream out and let her know, 'Wait a second, get out of the shower, he's rolling!'"
Newsweek spoke to parenting expert Alyssa Campbell (seedandsew.org), who said Brown did what so many other moms would do—find a safe space for her baby and took a moment to meet her own basic needs.
"The reality is, she didn't even need her sister on FaceTime," Campbell said.
Campbell, who is also the Founder and CEO of Seed & Sew and bestselling author of Tiny Humans, Big Emotions: How to Navigate Tantrums, Meltdowns, and Defiance to Raise Emotionally Intelligent Children, told Newsweek that if the baby woke up or cried, Brown could step out of the shower and tend to him.
"We've become so accustomed to video monitors and constant surveillance that the idea of stepping away, even briefly, feels unsettling. Attachment parenting has led many to believe they need to be constantly available, but secure attachment isn't about never leaving your child's side—it's about being attuned and responsive. If your baby is safe, you can take a shower. You can take a breath, and that's OK."
Worrell's clip, which has clocked up 2.3 million views, was more relatable than anticipated.
Over a thousand users commented on the clip, many of whom also made up a virtual village for their friends or family.
"I was really sick and my sister FaceTimed my boys and entertained them for hours to let me nap. She even sent them food!" one user laughed.
"I used to do this except I would face time my iPad from my phone," another shared.
For Worrell, the biggest takeaway was the sense of the same shared experience.
"It is humbling to know that sometimes there are others out there like you, going through the same thing. To be able to take some responsibility from a mom, a family member, if only for a little while, is a blessing that blesses both parties."
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines