Millennial Mom Panics Kids Will Turn Out Like Her—Then She Sees Teenage Son
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A Wisconsin mom who was concerned her teenager would end up in the wrong crowd soon realized she had nothing to worry about.
Shannon O'Donahue (@shannonsayss) posted a clip on TikTok pulling up next to her 16-year-old son, Izzy, wearing a wizard hat and carrying a wizard box. His friend, 15-year-old Wyatt, gives her a casual wave, clad in full medieval-style armor.
View of the parking lot from O'Donahue's driver's seat.
View of the parking lot from O'Donahue's driver's seat.
@shannonsayss
"I was always worried my kids would compromise who they are to fit in the way I did or that they would feel a desire to rebel," O'Donahue told Newsweek. "But, as you can see, and I'm happy to know, my son is himself 100 percent of the time."
Coming from a background of abuse and neglect, sneaking out of the home and skipping school were regular things for O'Donahue.
She said that, as a teen, she was always in trouble. Being bullied made it "impossible" to attend school, so she eventually left in her junior year.
"I was just a kid in survival mode looking for love, connection and acceptance in all the wrong places, so I ended up in trouble a lot," O'Donahue added.
She later returned to education in her 20s, enrolling at a community college before transferring to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
She earned her bachelor's in communications in her 30s, while her children watched her walk across the graduation stage.
"I didn't get to walk the stage in high school, but my kids got to watch me … [graduate] college," O'Donahue said. "I wouldn't change a thing."
Still, the memories of her own difficult adolescence lingered when it came to raising her kids.
"Having teens of my own scared me because of that past," O'Donahue said. "I know what teens are capable of and what pressures they face."
She was concerned that her children may follow in her footsteps, but she really had nothing to worry about.
According to Izzy, the TikTok video captured a relatively normal day for him and Wyatt.
"We walk around in these outfits a lot," Izzy told Newsweek. "We went to walk a few miles to our favorite bench on the side of the road in these outfits for fun.
"We also put some trinkets, like Shakespeare books, in a big wizard's chest," he continued. "Our ride took a while, so we went to get a coconut at Woodman's. We were on a quest."
"Him and [Wyatt] don't care what people think of them," O'Donahue said. "They're happy being their creative silly selves, and the world seems to respond well to that."
Her clip has gone viral on TikTok, amassing more than 1.9 million views and over 387,000 likes. Thousands of users became obsessed with the duo.
"Just walking around lost for 4 hours not a care in the world. They were on an adventure," one user wrote.
"I'm so sorry but the way his friend waved at you when you rolled up, made me die of laughter. Like it's was a regular occurrence," another added.
A third user commented: "You realize they're like this because YOU're a good mom, right?"
O'Donahue said that the reaction online has been heartwarming. "I think it's a testament to the fact that we all wish we could be ourselves a little more and not worry about what people think," she added.
"These kids give me hope for a more-exciting and accepting world."
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