Michelle Tzenevrakis and her husband Nick were caught off guard when a mime tried to equalize the burden of care work.
Editor's note: This article was originally posted on May 20, 2022. It has since been updated.
In a viral video posted to TikTok by user Ernest Palomo, who goes by the handle name Fiestascondjnova on the platform, a mime teaches an oblivious father a very important lesson. While mothers seem to have it all together all the time, the truth is that they are most likely shouldering the burden that everyone in a family should help carry. In this instance, a mom is seen holding her baby along with what looked like quite a heavy backpack. Meanwhile, her husband casually strolls behind her, completely empty-handed. Without using a single word, the mime is able to communicate precisely what he needs to, TODAY.com reports.
The incident took place at Sea World in Orlando, Florida, last month. Palomo happened to be filming at the park around the same time Michelle Tzenevrakis, carrying her 13-month-old daughter and a large backpack, walked in front of him. As seen in the clip, she walks ahead while her husband Nick trails behind. A mime spots the couple and reacts dramatically. Instead of breaking his act, the mime swoops into action. Sliding the backpack off of the mom's shoulders, he hands it over to Nick as a seated audience erupts into thunderous applause.
Around the worldπ people collectively spend ππ ππ’π₯π₯π’π¨π§ hours on unpaid care work every day.
β UN Women (@UN_Women) May 15, 2022
How much do YOU do and why does it matter?
β¬οΈ This International #DayOfFamilies, let us explain. β¬οΈ https://t.co/QRP7l4nJt4 [
Nick is obviously caught off guard by the incident but is not defensive about his mistake. In an interview with the media outlet, Palomo shared his feelings about the situation. "I thought it was pretty hilarious," he stated. "Everyone was cheering." Before the video went viral, the family had absolutely no idea they were even being filmed. Nonetheless, the entire experience was caught on camera. Rather than reacting negatively, they have taken the clip in stride. The husband said, "That mime totally caught me off guard. At that moment, I was in a total daze. I was really hungry and my feet were hurting me. I thought it was pretty funny." He added that he was not embarrassed in the least.
Tzenevrakis also had a good laugh after watching the TikTok post. Nonetheless, she was quick to defend her husband. When TikTok users took to the comments section to share their assumptions about the kind of father or husband Nick was, she shot them down immediately. For instance, one user wrote, "Oh, I bet heβs one of the 'I will NOT change diapersβ kind of guys." Similarly, another user commented, "Men like that dad are useless." During the interview, the wife cleared the air.
She said that he had pushed the stroller all day. However, they were not permitted to bring the stroller to the sea lion show, where the video was recorded. She also reiterated that Palomo's clip only caught one atypical moment. "Nick is the greatest father and I want to make sure that people know that," Tzenevrakis reaffirmed. "He does so much for us. Heβs just awesome in every way." If you would like to watch the original video, you can check it out by clicking here. Since it was first posted, it has garnered nearly 13 million views and more than 24,000 comments on TikTok.
The mime at Sea World.
β Andy Pearson (@andypearson86) June 1, 2021
Sea World might not be for everyone, but if you do go, make sure you get there early for the sea lion show. The mime does a lot of crowd work and is very funny. pic.twitter.com/Qn5dn0jxS6