Any parent will confirm that raising kids comes with a certain level of chaos. There are the usual scraped knees, bumped heads and food spillages, but that's just the children. Sometimes, when you're sleep-deprived or exhausted from running around after a toddler, you get into sticky situations too—as one mum documented in a hilarious video.
Helena Benn, a 24-year-old mum of three, shared a clip on Instagram inviting people to watch her cook dinner. In the short video, she never gets as far as cooking any food.
She turns on the stove, sets the camera up and while leaning over, immediately manages to ignite her long hair. Amazingly, though, Benn manages to stay completely calm as she quickly puts out the flames.
The video caption summarises the incident perfectly: "I am a walking disaster."
@helenabenn I am a walking disaster #fyp #cookwithme #foryoupage #cookingathometiktoktv #mumsoftiktok ♬ original sound - Helena ❤️
Parents have praised Benn for staying so calm while her hair went up in flames. In the comments, one said: "Mum of three sets hair on fire and brushes it off casually, that shows that isn't even the worst of it, you're awesome."
Another wrote: "Goodness me, well done on remaining calm in front of your children! What was for tea?"
Someone else added: "Based on your calm demeanour, I think this hair on fire has happened before."
Other people commented with their own similar experiences: "I did this to a plastic plate the other day, forgot I'd used my ceramic hob and put it back on there."
Many suggested that Benn should have tied her hair up before cooking, but when you've got three children and dinner to cook, it's easy to forget things.
Research suggesting the saying that there's "no tougher job than being a parent" may well be true.
A recent study released by the Ohio State University determined that more parents are burned out than we might have thought. A whopping 66% of parents are feeling it. Additionally, women were more likely than men to experience parental burnout, with 68% of females reporting burnout, compared to 42% of men.
Unsurprisingly, parents with two or three children felt more exhausted and burned out. It gets even more difficult when you're trying to juggle childcare with work responsibilities, as well as day-to-day tasks. And when you're experiencing extreme tiredness, accidents can happen.
If you have a parenting dilemma, let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured in Newsweek.
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