Photo: From Marwool / Unsplash
People are ruthless.
By Sydney Taylor — Last updated on Nov 01, 2023
A mother’s TikTok which shows her being emotional about not being able to afford presents for her kids has gone viral on the app. However, it has been met with several different opinions.
The woman's video appears to suggest she can't afford Christmas gifts for her kids.
The woman shared the original video to her TikTok account with the caption, “How do I tell my kids ‘Santa’ can’t bring there presents this year???” while the song Pope is a Rockstar by Sales plays in the background.
The mom is shown wiping her eyes with what appears to be a new set of long nails. At the time it was posted, the mother’s account also had her CashApp in the bio so people could send her money.
The video went viral when another TikTok user stitched the video, reading some of the top comments under the video.
Many criticized the mom for having her nails done while apparently worrying about money.
It seems like a lot of people are judging the mom for being able to afford her nails, which cost between $50 and $95 on average but often more with the addition of polish, but not gifts for her children.
For example, one comment read, “Just show them your nails. They’ll understand.” Another made a joke about the video and changed the song lyrics to “Broke Little Rock Star”
Similarly, several users seem to have mentioned how many individuals have received three stimulus checks and child tax credit that year. One woman said, “Girlllll the government gave out so much money for YOUR kids this year. NO EXCUSE!”
Photo: @nobodycaresanthony / TikTok
Other people claimed the woman was just trying to get people to send her money.
There have been several instances of people donating to families on the internet in their time of need. These random acts of kindness are common during the holiday season when families come forward to share their financial hardships and how it affects their ability to buy gifts. When someone shared this woman's video in a since-deleted Reddit post, many accused the woman of preying on people's kindness during this time of year.
“I'm jumping to conclusions obviously but this one seems to me like a direct attempt at receiving donations through sympathy,” one person wrote, to which another replied, “Bingo. She was hoping some schmuck would set up a GFM for her & more schmos would donate. We don’t even know she actually has kids.”
Photo: Reddit
The comments go on to call out the mother for trying to beg or scam for money on the app.
Before judging others, it's important to recognize that we don't know anyone's situation.
In a survey of 6,000 moms, TODAY Moms and Parenting.com found that parents spend an average of $271 per child on holiday gifts. We don't know how many kids this mom has or how much she spent on her nails, if anything at all, as there is also the possibility that she could have done them herself as a person commented under Anthony’s video.
“My mom was always scared people would judge her for having nails when paying with food stamps," the comment read. "She’s a nail tech and does them herself.”
The holidays can be stressful for many, so instead of jumping straight to judgment, it's good to have compassion for others. No one has to donate to anything or anyone that you don't believe in, just as no one has to criticize someone they don't know.
Sydney Taylor is a writer who focuses on News and Entertainment topics.