Mom’s theory about how baddies make the best kind of parents goes viral: “Confident moms raise confident kids”

One woman’s hot take about baddies being the best kinds of parents is setting the internet ablaze.

Mary Wilson’s “unpopular opinion” that baddies make the best moms went viral in a TikTok post from May 11. Wilson, @theemarywilson, told the moms of TikTok to be a baddie first, mom second, and your kid will thank you.

270 thousand views and 1700 comments in support of Wilson’s theory show that baddie mom theory is not only a very popular opinion—it’s possibly a scientifically proven fact.

Moms in the comments responded to the video in overwhelming agreement, and some even cited the data. Many people thanked Wilson for sharing what they “needed to hear.”

“I needed this,” commented @kamkcam and others. 

“Moms who feel good about themselves are better mothers”

In her video, Wilson explained, “Women who are baddies first and mothers second are actually the best moms.” She said it’s because moms who feel good about themselves are better mothers. Mothers who take care of themselves have more to give, so the math is simple: happy mom = happy kids. 

Wilson called for moms to do “whatever makes you feel like a baddie.”

She suggested trademark baddie behaviors like hair and beauty treatments, nails, working out, and dressing up. Or let your badness shine from within— read a book, go to school, get a hobby. “Get your money.”

@theemarywilson Baddie 1st, mom 2nd #momlife #momsoftiktok #motherhood #mothersday ♬ original sound – TheeMaryWilson

Wilson reminded moms, “Kids love to see their mothers happy.”

Baddie-Moms supporting Baddie-Moms

Despite traditional notions of motherhood and self-sacrifice, moms on TikTok confirmed that taking care of themselves first is an excellent parenting strategy and supported each other in making the perspective shift.

“Confident moms raise confident kids,” commented @vee.amez_. 

“You should always be your child’s first example of how ‘self-love’ looks,” said @viper_skyyyy.

“I think if you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of anyone else,” agreed @ms.kitty_214.

People have heard variations on “baddie mom theory” from experts

A mother’s emotional well-being can have a profound effect on her children. Why else would everyone be in therapy, blaming their mother for every little thing?

If that’s not sufficient as proof, psychologists conducted a study that followed over 2000 identical twins into adulthood and found a direct correlation between mothers’ mental and emotional health and healthy, happy kids. 

“When mothers were more affectionate toward their children, when they grew older, they were more open-minded, kinder, more cooperative with others, and they were more conscientious,” Jasmin Wertz, PhD, and lead author of the study, told Newsweek.

Clearly, these baddie moms have been brushing up on the facts because that’s what good moms do: 

“There are studies that prove that the child’s happiness and well-roundedness are totally dependent on the mother’s happiness,” commented @jleshe919. 

“100% scientifically proven,” said @user04129325911111111111.

“And that’s actually science,” commented @geminifasion_.

The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here to get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.