A dad’s viral Instagram video is sparking laughter and nods of recognition from parents everywhere after he revealed just how thoroughly his carefully planned bedtime schedule for his 13-month-old daughter was ignored by the grandparents.
Newsweek spoke with Randall Wagner, 34, of Charlotte, North Carolina, about his July 3 video that went viral, garnering over 3.2 million views and nearly 50,000 likes at the time of writing.
Footage shared to @wagner.randall shows baby Poppy enjoying a 7:15 p.m. tractor ride with her grandparents, Randy and Renee Wagner, both in their 60s, despite her parents’ detailed, hour-by-hour bedtime instructions meant to ensure a calm routine.
The Parents’ Plan:
- 6:50 p.m.: Bottle
- 7:00 p.m.: Book
- 7:10 p.m.: Bath
- 7:30 p.m.: Tucked into bed
But those plans went out the window when Poppy was at grandma and grandpa’s.
Instead, she was out for an evening joyride on the tractor during her scheduled bedtime.
Wagner told Newsweek that he and his wife were attending a wedding when they got the photos and videos from the grandparents showing the totally derailed schedule.
“When we saw the text, we just kind of laughed and joked about it,” Wagner said. “We were sitting with some friends who are expecting their first baby later this year, so I showed them the video as a little preview of what they might be in for when they finally get a night out and the grandparents take over for the first time.”
He explained the clip struck such a chord because of how different the grandparent routine was from what happens at home.
He said: “We just joked about how, at our house, the time between bottle and bed is typically calming, quiet, and relaxing to try to get her to bed, but what was happening at grandma and grandpa’s was such a stark contrast to that.”
According to a 2023 YouGov survey of 1,000 U.S. adults, Americans are divided on whether nearby, retired, able-bodied grandparents should regularly provide child care. Forty-one percent believe grandparents in this situation should be willing to help, while 40 percent say they don’t need to be willing.
Since Wagner doesn’t live in the same state as his parents, they don’t mind the odd late night for Poppy.
“We probably average a visit about once every other month,” he told Newsweek. “My parents pretty much snatch her up, and my wife and I become old news for the weekend.
“My mom pretty much has her at all times, playing with her, carrying her around, showing her things, or involving her in whatever she’s doing.
“We keep in touch through FaceTime, but it’s impressive how Poppy has always remembered them in between trips, even when she was younger.”
Social Media Reactions
The video was met with knowing laughter and widespread support for the grandparents’ looser approach.
“That’s Poppy’s routine at YOUR house. Poppy is in Vegas right now,” one user quipped.
“There are no routines for grandparents,” another wrote.
“Poppy ain’t got time for schedules she got work to do,” added a third.
The post Parents Set Babysitting Rules, but Boomer Grandparents Refuse To Follow appeared first on Newsweek.
