Kids told their mom they hope she outlives their dad, who’s 12 years older — their brutally honest reason left him speechless
Kids never shy away from voicing their views, even if it's sometimes hard to hear. A mother, Willa Eigo Talley (@willa.eigo), sat down with her kids to watch the movie "Up," when they suddenly said they hoped she would outlive their father. When the parents inquired, the kids gave a brutally honest opinion that left them speechless. Sharing the video with her Instagram followers on Friday, April 3, 2026, the mother revealed how, besides motherhood, fatherhood can also be a thankless job.
Talley and her husband were watching the popular movie "Up" with their kids when the scene of Ellie Fredricksen's death came up, and the kids asked their mother if she'd die before their dad. Talley, who is 12 years younger than her husband, told them that she hoped she would not. However, the kids still wished she would outlive her husband. She looked confused and asked for the reason, to which the kids said that their lives would be harder if they lost their mother first. Because of this, they hoped she would survive their dad.
"I know people say motherhood is a thankless job, but I think fatherhood might be a more thankless job." Funnily, the dad, who was also in the same room the whole time, was stunned by their kids' logic. The mother posted the video and captioned, "Not all the kids praying for my husband's downfall." According to a study published on ResearchGate, most children trust their mothers more than their fathers. 76.58% of respondents highly trust their mothers, compared to 57.07% for fathers.
"The reasons to trust mother are mother's character (38.05%), role (30.24%), relation (22.93%), and reliability (8.78%). On the other hand, children trust their father because of the father's role (36.59%), relation (29.76%), character (23.41%), and reliability (6.83%)." Talley's kids mentioned that they would feel more comfortable being taken care of if their mother were around. The kids may have said that after noticing the efforts both parents put into raising them.
After her video went viral, many users shared their thoughts on the kids' reactions. @kthemanj wrote, "My father worked his entire life with no expectations for thank yous; he truly dedicated his life to providing for us. He never received the level of thanks and appreciation that my mom did. They are both wonderful people. He just went unseen." @hiiibmurph commented, "Also, Dad is biologically related to them, yet they'd be lost without you. Don't forget that. Love you." @chipleader32 wrote, "Fathers continuously provide ignorance about the financial struggles to their children by design… Fatherhood is far and away the most thankless role [sic] possible."
For more such fun and interesting videos on parenting, follow @willa.eigo on Instagram.
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