A mom with a large following on TikTok found herself on the receiving end of backlash after a viral video on her account drew attention for all the wrong reasons.
Haley Orrock has hundreds of thousands of followers across social media. She has almost 330,000 followers on Instagram and 45,000 on TikTok and specializes in snappy DIY posts. She also shares relatable interactions between herself and family members.
Her TikTok channel, @bonesandbuilds, is full of cozy content, but one recent video drew ire from her audience. Orrock posted a clip of her husband pushing a lawnmower around the garden. The issue is that her young son is riding on top with his legs dangling off the sides. Many social media personalities would double down in a situation like this, but Orrock handled the situation a different way.
TikTok Mom Calls The Situation “A Little Embarrassing.”
The video disappeared from the @bonesandbuilds channel, but the mom re-uploaded the clip a few days ago, addressing concerns. Orrock admits the situation was “a little embarrassing.” She clarifies, “I realized I might be spreading a bad idea instead of awareness. So in case you didn’t know: DON’T DO THIS.”
“Looking back, it seems so obviously dangerous. But I grew up riding on the mower and didn’t think twice about it,” Orrock explains. She jokes, “Sharing now in hopes of saving a few tiny fingers and toes—especially for the parents who grew up feral like me.”
While many commenters still aren’t satisfied with the explanation. Others appreciate the reupload. Jodie_wisco writes, “Thank you for addressing this! Keep those babies safe!” Another, Ashley Frischknecht, says, “We love a mama who’s learning and self aware.” Responding to the backlash, Jim_Jim says, “EVERY SINGLE one of you on here that are parents have done something like this with their own child at some point. It doesn’t make you or them bad parents. People need to chill!”
Other TikTok users are less charitable. One reply by melba121892, with over 2000 likes, says, “Didn’t know about kids and lawn mowers” I beg your finest pardon????.” Another by Taylor Nicole300 reads, “What’s terrifying to me is both mom AND dad didn’t realize this was a bad idea?!”
Despite the frosty comments, Orrock appears to be taking the criticism in her stride and has already posted several DIY videos since.