This Mom's TikTok Challenge Is Going Viral For Celebrating Those Real Parenting Moments

It's shoes scattered in the hallway, wet mittens inexplicably left on the bathroom floor, and granola bars shoved down the back of the sofa for me. That's what I would share as part this mom's viral TikTok challenge. Gwenna Laithland has asked fellow moms to "tell me you have kids without telling me you have kids" and share their best images that offer proof that they have children in the house without saying a word. For her, it's apparently all about the "tamper-proof" Christmas decorations at the bottom of her Christmas tree.

Laithland, the creator of hilarious parenting content for Momma Cusse, is an Oklahoma-based mom to a 13-year-old and 2-year-old twins and recently shared short video of her home decorated for the holidays. And because she has kids, I'm guessing those twin toddlers in particular, she noted that you can tell she's a mom because "the decorations get far less breakable the further down the house you look."

"Even the Christmas tree decorations start breakable up high, but get more and more tamper proof the further down you go," she said on TikTok.

Laithland's video has really taken off since Laithland first shared it on Dec. 3, with more than 400,000 views so far. "Hopefully [the challenge] made other parents feel like their struggle is shared, like they are a little less alone," the mom of three tells Romper.

Certainly plenty of parents have been taking part in the challenge, with one mom sharing a photo of her shoulder covered in baby vomit, and another giving us a peak at the inside of her car covered in takeout wrappers and litter (I feel this one deep in my bones).

With this video, Laithland says she aims "to normalize modern motherhood."

"With Instagram and Facebook, parents can often feel like we aren’t supposed to talk about the ugly bits of parenting," she says. "But those are as much our reality as the snuggles and hugs and adorable family photos. I asked this to give parents a way to connect with each other. Parenting is hard. Parenting in a pandemic in unprecedented."

This might be one of the best parenting TikTok challenges I've seen, simply because it gives moms an opportunity to be real with each other and have a bit of a laugh. Be vulnerable, be honest, be open about what raising kids really looks like with no filters. Now excuse me while I go take a picture of my laundry room where my son has apparently been living out of his hamper for his entire life.