Among the many bonkers expectations placed on moms these days, maintaining a house that perpetually looks like something straight out of HGTV instead of a (realistic) messy home remains high on the list. Not only is a home supposed to be clean, but every square inch is supposed to be modern, stylish, and well-curated… despite the fact that, you know, an entire family of humans and possibly even pets lives there.
If social media would have you believe that everyone else lives in a pristine palace designed to look good on the ‘gram, you will love this viral TikTok song that pays perfect tribute to homes that “still look like what they did in ‘84” — oak cabinets, mismatched appliances, crayon-covered walls and all.
Emily Vondracheck, aka the mama bear behind TikTok’s The Vondy Fam, recently shared her home-grown guitar hit, and when you hear it, you’ll immediately understand why it racked up more than 1.7 million views on TikTok and hundreds of thousands of likes and comments on Instagram, too.
@thevondyfam I am very proud of this home
and all the love and mess it holds. We are blessed beyond measure and so very fortunate
#normalhouse
In the clip, Vondracheck can be seen strumming her guitar in her kitchen. “Not every home is minimalistic,” she sings. “Not every home is new and clean. Not every home may look like what’s showcased on your screen,” she adds, performing in front of an open cabinet stuffed to the brim with diapers and other household essentials.
“You see, sometimes homes still look like what they did in ‘84, and this one’s got oak cabinets and green carpet on the floor,” she sings, moving her performance to the patterned green carpet.
Singing next to crayon-stained walls, she continues, “But this is normal, too, crayon on the walls, no place for shoes. The appliances don’t match and every surface has a scratch.”
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“Got stuff shoved in every drawer, in every closet. Hey look, there’s more,” she says, crooning in front of a fully stuffed hamper before moving to her unmade bed. “Sometimes it’s a mess and sometimes it is clean. But typically, it’s someplace in between.”
“But what makes a home a home is not the things that we compare,” she concludes. “Yeah, the most important thing is the love that we share,” as her husband comes in and plants a smooch on her “right on cue.”
At the end, she jokes, “I made my bed just for this video, so be flattered.”
Naturally, the song resonated with parents everywhere, who are low-key tired of the facade of perfection that appears on every social media platform. One TikTok commenter thanked Vondracheck for “normalizing being normal,” while another wrote, “Perfection in imperfection.”
On Instagram, one commenter noted that they’ve “never seen anything on Instagram that’s made me feel more seen and understood.” Another added: “My kids are embarrassed of our house because it’s not new and modern. But I’m PROUD of it! This is the house that my husband and I bought when I was only 24 and it’ll be paid off in 12 years!” Yet another summed it up perfectly, writing: “Pulling out my lighter and singing along like.”
So if your home looks a little less Architectural Digest and a little more “is it a dog hair tumbleweed or is it a dust bunny?” this one’s for you. None of that crap matters when there’s so much love within your walls.
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