A TikTok video posted by creator @juliehlin on May 28, 2026, shows her reaction to the school year ending. The clip drew about 16.1 million views and 1.6 million likes at the time of publication.
The creator can be seen lying on a staircase surrounded by children's backpacks. The on-screen text in her video shows her realizing that she will have to wake up early for school for the next 14 years. She then acts as though she is falling down the stairs while crying.
In the video's caption, she wrote about seeing other parents celebrate their children finishing school and said she was counting down the eight days left. She asked her followers who else remained stuck in the trenches.
Viewers filled the comment section with their own childhood and parenting memories. One commenter recalled mornings from their own school days. "I remember going into the kitchen when I was in school in the morning," they wrote. "My mom would be sitting in a dark kitchen sipping coffee, preparing herself to face the day," they added.
Another reply addressed the lasting nature of parenting duties. "I mean the world doesn't work logically," a viewer wrote. They explained that they still wake up their grown children.
"I still sometimes wake up even my kids in their mid 20s who live on their own now !" the commenter wrote. They added that a good idea in your head does not always work out.
A different user shared how their mom did not help with homework. "Lmao not my mom!" a commenter wrote. They recalled a different level of parental involvement, explaining that their mother rarely helped with daily tasks. "She maybe tried to help with a couple of big projects but not every day homework!" they wrote. They expressed support for parents helping struggling children.
Another commenter detailed the long timeline of raising multiple children. "I spaced all 4 of my kids out thinking it's easier," the viewer wrote. The parent explained how staggered ages stretch parenting duties across decades. "Now I'll have one going into college, one going into 8th grade, one going into 3rd grade, and one going into kindergarten," they added, joking about being elderly by the time all their children are grown.
The Daily Dot could not independently verify the events described in the video. The details above reflect Julie Lin's account as shared on TikTok. The creator's and commenters' identities have not been confirmed.
