No matter how hard some of us try to plan our life and want to be prepared for every situation that comes our way, sometimes things just happen and we have to deal with it the best possible way that is suggested at that certain moment. This becomes really challenging when people have a lot on their plate, trying to keep a balance between family life and work. To keep this balance becomes quite difficult once a person and their partner decide to have kids. In a lot of countries, this means that it is time to take some time off of work and focus on building a family. However, this is not the case everywhere.
TikTok user @mpmoney27 decided to share a video that soon became viral with 5M views. The video showed the woman who was about to go into labor, laying in a hospital bed with her phone writing a text message to her boss, wanting to let them know that she wouldn’t be able to come to work because she was about to deliver a baby. This TikTok started a discussion online about the harsh reality that working people face when having to skip work because of various emergencies, or in this case, labor.
More Info: TikTok
A young mom named Marissa shared a TikTok video where she was about to go into labor, but before that, she made sure to warn her boss about the situation
Image credits: mpmoney27
On July of last year, Marissa Peirce gave birth to her son Charles. The woman much later shared a video where she was already admitted to the hospital, where she was about to go into labor. The woman shared with Buzzfeed that they weren’t expecting the baby for another one and a half weeks, so once she was in the hospital, Marissa started writing a message to her workplace to let them know that she wouldn’t be there for her shift.
The woman who works at a drive-thru coffee shop wanted her boss to know that she was in labor, also asking whether it would be okay for her mom or brother to come and pick up her paycheck. The woman read the text to her husband who then assured her that the message was “perfect.” It might seem that in such a situation, work-related logistics shouldn’t be the primary concern, and Marissa was just overthinking it, but the comments next to her video proved this to be a common practice.
The woman was quite nervous and wanted to make sure that the message she'd sent was "okay"
Image credits: mpmoney27
A lot of people, especially moms, shared that being in labor or having some medical procedure won’t stop workplaces from asking whether they can still come to work or make sure someone would cover their shift. This is why Marissa seemed really concerned about sending the text message, asking for assurance that it was “okay.” The TikTok post as well as people’s comments revealed the sad truth of how a lot of employees receive no maternity or paternity leave, are asked to be back to work without being healed properly after a difficult surgery, or after losing a loved one.
Image credits: mpmoney27
Bored Panda contacted Marissa to find out more about the situation. The young mom admitted that she didn’t expect this video to go viral as she simply wanted to share this moment with her friends. The woman added: “It made me a little nervous to see it get traction but I am glad that there is a conversation being had about parental leave in the United States! It’s a conversation that urgently needs to be had.”
After so many people were open about their own experiences and struggles with taking some time off of work to deal with some family-related matters, it seems that it’s about the right time to make some changes. However, Marissa stated that she hadn’t noticed any changes in regards to how workplaces treat parents. “Adequate parental leave is still hard to come by in the United States. Nothing has changed so far that would have allowed me to have paid maternity leave when I had my son,” shared the woman.
Image credits: mpmoney27
When asked if she could give some advice to parents who find themselves in a similar situation and are worried about skipping work for really important reasons, she was honest by saying that it’s hard to provide them with the advice “when it’s really the government and the employers who are at fault. Companies are the ones who should be giving paid parental leave to new families. There really needs to be a big change, and soon.” People can only hope that this public debate will lead to some greater changes in the future.
What do you think about this situation? Have you ever found yourself in a similar position? Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments down below!
You can watch the full video down below!
A lot of TikTok users tried to look at the harsh reality that working people in the US face through humor
People online felt for Marissa as they also found themselves in similar situations
People online also noticed how bad they usually feel after having no other choice but to take some time after work
It's nice to know that there are some places that still care about their workers
