6-year-old draws mom's 'anxious' nature in hilarious family portrait — and it's making us feel seen

If you think kids don’t pay attention to detail, let this accurately honest drawing prove you wrong. 6-year-old Jameson Melton was asked to make a drawing ahead of Halloween for his family. He aced the pumpkin and himself, but when it came to drawing his mother, Natasha, the boy went above and beyond, reported PEOPLE. The mom shared a video of the drawing on TikTok that she will likely remember for life. Standing along with the decor was the mom with her visible anxiety, totally freaking out, and the little guy didn’t miss any details. Right from her expression to her special "nervous" traces, it’s a picture to remember. 

The drawing included Natasha and her family, and the boy tried to depict them having fun with carving pumpkins, according to TODAY. When she looked at the figure of a woman in red, she noticed weird lines surrounding it. Upon asking Jameson who it was, she was caught off guard. “He said, 'It's you, Mom! But you're so nervous all the time,” she recalled. Natasha was speechless, and when she took a closer look, she realized how well her son included the details. The figure had her hands over her mouth, as if she were about to gasp or seriously worried. The jaw was wide open, but what stole the show were the jittery lines, indicating that she was all over the place, shaking due to her nervousness. 

Jameson even explained why she was nervous. He smartly pictured a pumpkin on the “edge of the table” and knew his mom would be nervous about it being placed there. Natasha took the moment in stride; to her, it was a hilariously accurate representation of herself and her family. Just daily shenanigans. "I would definitely say I'm a little bit more of a nervous mom than most, but not in a bad way," she remarked. While she admitted it wasn’t in a negative way, she also shared that her family tends to notice it sometimes. While many parents, like Natasha, took the whole story with humor, it did highlight how many moms are always on the go, and it gets frustrating and anxious. 

According to research published by the JAMA journal, of over 1,000 moms surveyed, an increased number reported facing poor mental health. The prevalence of "excellent mental health declined from 38.4% to 25.8%" between 2016 and 2023. As for women who reported good or excellent physical health, these numbers dropped too. The study highlighted that further research was “urgently needed to identify the causes of lower and declining mental health.” Mom and author of “Everyone But Me,” Julie Chavez, noted that moms are constantly on their toes due to the unending momentum in their minds, according to Psychology Today. “I believe that motherhood is hard because it's important,” she said. She explained that the role of being a mother is a privilege in itself, and “wanting to do it justice” is what keeps many on the go. “Keeping them (kids) safe, teaching them well, helping them understand themselves: It's a tall order,” she remarked. She highlighted the need to look after oneself and not ignore personal needs in the chase to cater to others. “Set timers when you're at home because there will always be something else to attend to,” she shared.

Every mom deserves a break, as the author noted, it’s not earned but rather necessary. Many moms were delighted to see the observation the 6-year-old recorded in his work. @niac.88 wrote, “Not the heebie jeebies on paper.” @.no27_998 added, “He literally had you shaking in your knees in that damn drawing.” 

You can follow Natasha Melton (@natasha.melton) on TikTok for more content on parenting and mental health.

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