Dad took kids on Hawaii trip—even 10+ years as a Reality TV producer couldn't prepare him for the ‘drama’
Sometimes, you can do everything to prepare yourself but something or the other always catches you off guard when it comes to parenting. A dad named Devon McGovern (@devonmcgovern) realized this through a trip to Hawaii, which turned out to be the most chaotic experience, TODAY revealed. The dad had taken his family, including his two daughters, on a vacation. It wasn’t until he sat down to make a compilation of their journey that he realized how ruthlessly hysterical it really was. While making great memories, the family also encountered their own parenting battles that even his profession as a reality TV producer for 10 years couldn’t prepare him for.
The couple decided to edit it as a reality TV show and the complete picture was something out of this world. McGovern and his wife, Marlene Martinez, together with their dad and two daughters, took a trip to Hawaii. They were used to taking these trips often but this one, in particular, left them baffled. "Children are predictably unpredictable. So lo and behold, we had this kind of comedy of errors," Martinez said. Her remark makes so much sense after one notices the unhinged reality they faced during their holiday. Starting with a family picture at the airport, the rest of the reel took a crazy turn.
With tantrums, screaming, crying and unimaginable scenarios, the parents found themselves living in an atmosphere they never saw coming. While some of the glimpses, such as one of the girls being obnoxiously loud, were predictable, others were still bewildering. Another visual captured the exhausted mom holding it together, trying to braid her daughter’s hair while she yells and cries. “Next time, I’m not bringing you,” she said to the girl. Sounds harsh but every parent might agree that in the heated moment, when screams are all that is echoing, the reply is expected. From unexpected rains to the scorching sun, nature, too, went all out to give the family a tough few times.
A sleepless night’s sight saw McGovern caught off guard after his daughter gave him a tiny smack across his cheek. “Excuse me,” he remarked. Amid the smiles and endearing moments, there was also exhaustion, a disturbed silence and even more yelling and crying. All the while, the grandpa tried to make his existence as helpful and nonchalant as possible. Having seen all kinds of conversations, gossip and relentless acts in his profession as a reality TV producer, the dad was still caught off guard by the unpredictability of this trip. "10+ years producing reality TV and nothing prepared me for the drama of traveling with kids," he said. “Our Hawaii trip had tantrums, triumphs and tropical sunsets — and yes, we need a vacation from this vacation,” he added.
Nothing felt more resonant to parents. While many capture and post their picturesque moments, these raw, unfiltered and random scares are left out of the screen. The kids getting aggressive, the parents fed up with their personal space being sabotaged all the time and the whole thing on repeat in different ways was truly a lot. Many parents were glad that McGovern and Martinez put it out for the world to see because it was a reality for so many. "The intention of doing it was to show you're not alone. We're figuring it out every single day with big emotion, high-spirited children," the mom noted. @bchanism said, “This is the true reality of having kids that they rarely show on social media.” @choleymoley joked, “There’s only 2? The editing made it look like an infestation.” @thecoastlinecollective remarked, “It’s the dissociation at the end for me.”
You can follow Devon McGovern (@devonmcgovern) and Marlene Martinez (@marlenevmartinez) on Instagram for more content on parenting and family.