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A mother went viral after picking up trash for her children just as they were finishing a 5K race.
In a video posted to her Instagram account earlier this month, Kacy McKenzie, a mother living in Tennessee, can be seen running across the finish line. Her husband, who filmed the video, also cheered her on in the background as he told their children, “There it is, Mommy!”
While on the sidelines, McKenzie's son noticed a piece of trash on the race track and said he was “going to tell her.” [his mother] to pick it up.” The runner then proceeded to cross the finish line, before approaching the sidelines and being greeted by her family.
“Mommy, mommy, can you pick that up?” her son could be heard saying, referring to the piece of plastic on the floor.
McKenzie bent down to pick up the trash and playfully responded to her children’s request. “Yeah, let me just drop what I’m doing and help everyone,” she joked. “That’s what moms do.”
She then handed her son the piece of plastic and smiled, before raising her arms. The video ends with the mother briefly jogging on the track.
In the caption of her post, McKenzie joked about how her kids asked her for help right after finishing the 5K.
“Can’t a mom get a high five first?” she wrote, along with a smiley face emoji.
The video quickly went viral on Instagram, with over 91,800 likes. In the comments, several people praised the mother's reaction to her children's request to pick up the trash. Social media users also claimed that the children's father should have intervened and drawn attention to his wife's great achievement.
“I love that she said that stupid thing in passing,” one wrote, while another added: “Ah, another married single mother. Good for her for saying that.”
A third wrote: “Dad should have redirected the kids here. Or at least encouraged himself. Good job, Mom!”
Others expressed how upset they were with the mother, as her children did not applaud or congratulate her right after she crossed the finish line.
“I actually feel really sad for her,” one wrote. “She was probably hoping to see her cheered up and that’s what she got.”
“Edit** 'Don't bother mommy with that, I'll bring it to you in a minute… GOOD JOB BABY PROUD OF YOU!'” wrote another person, stating that this was how they thought the children's father should have handled the situation.
“The way he would have run past my family and pretended he didn’t know them,” a third commented.
During an interview withTodayShe defended her husband from criticism, while detailing why she posted the video in the first place.
“As mothers, this is our daily life,” she said. “God bless him, he was doing everything he could to record this video, as I had asked him to. I have a supportive husband.”
The mother of two admitted that while she initially wanted to “talk” to her children about the situation, she decided instead to make what she called a “naughty” comment when they asked her to pick up the trash.
She also expressed that she was not going to say no to helping her family after the race. “As a mother who loves her family, I never thought about No “Pick it up,” he said. “It didn’t occur to me.”
McKenzie then spoke about how people on social media were referring to her as the “default mom,” which is a phrase used to describe a mother that children turn to for help, even when their father is around. However, according to McKenzie, she didn’t necessarily object to her children asking her to pick up trash after the race.
“You can look at it in two ways: kids want you to do something for them, but don’t they understand that the moment is bigger than them?” she explained. “It’s also a privilege for them to know that moms are there to help. That’s our role too… my son knew Supermom was coming.”
Noting that she wanted to share her video with other mothers who have a good sense of humor, she praised parents who are the ones their children constantly turn to for help.
“This happens to moms a hundred times a day, maybe not at the finish line of a 5K, but for us it happens every day, all day long,” she said. “I’m glad my kids see me like this, but… it’s not always easy being the hero.”
The Independent has contacted McKenzie for comment.
