Doctor Videobombed by Daughter During Live Interview on BBC, Keeps Her Cool Entire Time
Work/life balance is a tricky thing to manage, and with more and more people working from home, that balance has been redefined and tested more than ever.
Some are loving the lack of commute, the familiarity of their surroundings and the easy access to the main snack stashes.
Others are frustrated by lack of space, or at the very least, having to deal with new distractions — the sort that multi-tasking moms and dads who work from home have had to learn to deal with.
Dr. Clare Wenham, from London, just illustrated that fact beautifully when she was speaking with an interviewer on BBC News.
An assistant professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science, Wenham has started working from home, where she has a lot more time to be with her adorable daughter, Scarlett. You can see where this is going.
Wenham was recently speaking about the current lockdown situation in England. The video clip opened with her hoisting her daughter out of her lap and setting her feet on the floor.
Scarlett ran to the back of the room, fully visible to the viewers, as she tried to set up a piece of artwork on a bookshelf. She tried several different spots, clearly uncertain and agitated.
She attempted to get her mom’s attention a few times, but Wenham was trying to focus on the BBC task at hand. At some point, the interviewer asked for Wenham’s daughter’s name, and Wenham broke into a smile and answered “Scarlett.”
“Scarlett, I think it looks better on the lower shelf,” he said, as Wenham laughed. “And it’s a lovely unicorn.”
The interviewer attempted to dive back into the questions, but Scarlett had been very attentive and this potential new acquaintance wasn’t getting away so easily.
“What’s his name? What’s his name, mummy?” the little girl asked.
“Mummy what’s his name?”
Dr Clare Wenham, we understand your struggles of working from home and looking after children ?https://t.co/vXb15EQatL pic.twitter.com/4f3PODtJWA
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) July 1, 2020
Mom tried to shush her, but Scarlett would not be shushed and kept asking until the man replied, “My name is Christian.” And with that handle, Scarlett drew him in by informing him about a very pressing concern.
“Christian,” she said, “I’m just deciding where Mummy wants it to go.”
Wenham directed her daughter to a particular shelf and then apologized. Laughing, Christian said “This is the most informative interview I’ve had all day.”
Laughs were had, and most people seemed to find the interruption adorable, heartwarming, and refreshingly genuine. In their share of the clip, BBC News wrote “Dr. Clare Wenham, we understand your struggles of working from home and looking after children.”
Wenham tweeted shortly afterward to let viewers know they had, indeed, found the perfect spot for the artwork.
“We’ve decided on a shelf for the unicorn,” she wrote. “Thanks to all for kind words normalising the work-parent balance that so many are juggling amid #covid19 chaos.”
We’ve decided on a shelf for the unicorn.
Thanks to all for kind words normalising the work-parent balance that so many are juggling amid #covid19 chaos
@BBCNews @haynesdeborah
Today Scarlett wants to be #superheroelsa pic.twitter.com/byMbCPrZQD
— Clare Wenham (@clarewenham) July 2, 2020
She included a photo of herself and her daughter, whose outfit of the day was a red mask and a frosty blue dress topped with a cape.
“Today Scarlett wants to be #superheroelsa,” Wenham explained.
Some commenters have suggested that Scarlett make another appearance, so maybe this was the start of something lighthearted and wonderful. Even if it was a one-time event, it has brought smiles to people who weren’t expecting it in a news update.
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