A mom of five has revealed what happened when she let her husband dress their baby for a change.
Jess Fournier of South Sydney, Australia, could barely contain herself when her husband, Mark, arrived at the park with their 8-month-old son, Duke.
He is the youngest of their five boys, with the others ranging between 3 and 11. There’s rarely a dull moment in their house.
“It’s absolute chaos,” Fournier told Newsweek. “Think Jurassic Park at feeding time all the time.”
Parenting is a rewarding but stressful and tiring experience. A 2023 Pew Research Center poll found that around 4 in 10 parents (41 percent) felt being a parent was tiring, while 29 percent said it is stressful all or most of the time.
Fournier and her husband’s situation is stressful enough with five kids, but matters are further complicated by things outside the home. “I work full time in a corporate position,” she said. “My husband and I just make it work.”
Fournier believes that “no matter how many kids you have it is always a full-on, intense experience” and that it’s important for moms and dads to support their partners through it and work as a team.
“It’s the only way you can do it and survive,” she said. “It’s definitely not easy, but we support each other and give each other time out when we need it. We make sure we laugh often and make time for fun. It’s about the journey and not just waiting to be happy.”
Jess Fournier immediately noticed her youngest son Duke’s hat, which her husband had chosen for him on a very cold day. On first glance, it looked OK, but she quickly spotted a problem: The back of his head was entirely exposed.
TikTok/@here_4_the_drama_
One of her biggest laughs recently came after she entrusted Mark with dressing Duke. More often than not, Fournier is the one who deals with outfits for their kids. “The older boys dress themselves, but for the younger three I pick their outfits most days and leave them out for hubby,” she said.
This time was a little different, though. Fournier was already out and had arranged to meet Mark and the kids at the park.
It was a freezing-cold day, so when Fournier saw them she wasn’t surprised to see Mark had put Duke in a hat to keep warm. What was a surprise, however, was his choice of hat.
In a video posted to Fournier’s TikTok account, here_4_the_drama, she showed why she’s the one entrusted with dressing the kids.
“This beanie does not fit him, Dad,” Fournier can be heard saying in the clip. “It looks all right to me,” Mark replies before Fournier turns Duke around to show the back of his head entirely exposed to the elements.
“Uh-oh,” Mark says in response. “Why is it so short at the back?”
The mom and dad then break out in fits of laughter. Mark later explained to her that it was the only hat he could find in the car.
“Dad was trying his best, and I love that,” Fournier said. “He knew it was too cold to be hatless. Moms just tend to know every item, or well I do.”
Fournier’s video has gone viral, amassing over 380,000 views, and she hopes those watching take away an important message.
“Don’t take everything so seriously. Parenting is hard, and everyone is trying their best,” she said. “I chased my dogs down the road in a bra this morning because hubby and all the kids were asleep. It’s unpredictable and messy, and dignity has left the building.”
