Tiffani Thiessen and her husband, Brady Smith, have been quarantining with their kids Harper, 10 and Holt, five, in their beautiful Montecito home. Recently Tiffani shipped her little ones off to their grandparents and was so excited to get rid of them, she posted a celebratory video to her Instagram about it. Tiffani talked to Us magazine about coping with lockdown. During a round of Quarantine Confessions, she admitted to the occasional meltdown – one as recently as this weekend – because she can never get a moment to herself.
To each their own! Tiffani Thiessen has no shame in admitting her quarantine habits, both good and bad.
When Thiessen recently caught up with Us Weekly, she played a game of “Quarantine Confessions.” At the time, the Saved by the Bell alum, 46, dished on the many things she’s done while sheltering at home, including experiencing mommy meltdowns.
“Of course I have, yes. I had one this weekend,” she admitted, before noting that the recent news of Los Angeles Unified School District “not going back” to traditional schooling and the “numbers going up” for coronavirus cases hasn’t helped.
Thiessen said that she doesn’t have a place at home where she can hideout when the going gets tough. “There’s not a room in my house that, as a mother, I can go to that they will not find me. That’s crazy,” the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum said. “That is the difference between the role of a mother and a father. My husband, [Brady Smith], can hide and they will not look for him. Mommy, totally different.”
Early on in her quarantine, Thiessen would “definitely” go through “a glass or two” of wine per night. However, she said she’s been “good” about her alcohol consumption during quarantine more recently.
Girl, same! I was just telling CB the other day about losing it and shouting at my kids, one of whom deserved it. Not just a, “hey, pull it together,” type of warning, more like an open mouth and unleash hell kind of moment. I’m not proud of it, but I won’t lie and say that it didn’t prove somewhat cathartic. And much of the issue is exactly what Tiffani is talking about, the fact that my space is always shared, not matter where I am or what I am doing. Usually it isn’t an issue because I genuinely like the people I live with. But I have to get better about shutting my office door and allowing myself to have my moment, like Michelle Obama counseled. I did it one day. It freaked everyone out because I hadn’t given any advance warning, but it hit the reset button for me, so I won’t wait too long to do it again.
Tiffani said to combat the lockdown blues, she and her family have been doing, “lots of arts and crafts… [We’re also doing] puzzles, lots of puzzles.” Can I be honest? I am so f*cking tired of crafts and board games at this point. I said we really needed to break out of our rut on Saturday and two members of my household suggested yet another board game. I almost threw it at them. I need something a little more extreme now, like recreating casinos and art galleries for my family to “visit.” After work today I’m taking my daughter and dogs to Petco to shop for some new toys and yes, I actually have that as an activity on my calendar. One thing Tiffani said they are doing is a “family canvas” in which they are all contributing. That kind of collective artwork intrigues me some. My husband is hellbent on filming a horror short with some new movie software he’s downloaded and we’ll all contribute to that. Hopefully that will scratch some itch because I’m about tapped creatively.
Photo Credit: Tiffani Thiessen’s Instagram
Quarantine confession: I hid behind the water heater so as not to be interrupted whilst working for the umpteenth time.
Only time my house if quiet is after midnight. So I stay up so so late just for peace.
When I was in graduate school I would stay up past midnight to DC o work. My ex was also in school and would get his work done in the early evenings. Which means I had to deal with the kiddos. One of them asked me one day why I never did homework.
Sounds about right for life with small children. Kids go through phases where they have a favorite parent and the other one just won’t do. I’m pregnant so I get my alone time from the kids when I have a doc appt.
Yup, yup, yup. Yup, I relate to Tiffani. Yup, I relate to Hecate. Yup all around.
I’m shocked. I thought for sure she had passed away. I have no idea who i must have gotten her mixed up with.. but I’m just thrilled to see she is alive and well!
I choose not to have children and quite frankly, I am sick of hearing parents complain about their children during quarantine and complain about sending kids to school. Maybe its the mainstream news giving them a disproportionate platform but Its as if society doesnt even recognize the fact many of us are not married and dont have children.
You choose to have children, Stop complaining! And i get the impression a lot of parents that want to send their kids to school Want to do so because they want a break or dont want the responsibility of schooling them. You signed up for this when you procreated. I dont care about her “mommy meltdowns” or the fact her kids follow her everywhere. My dog does the same.thing. And no one cares.
But yet, you still took the time to read and comment on the article, so you must not be that tired of the subject 🙄
I am here because I like the blog. But thanks.
Yes, but it’s a bit different now with kids during lock down. There’s no going out. No movies, no parks, no stores, no McDonald’s play land….it’s at home 24-7. And it’s tough. There’s no going to grandparents or playing at a friends house. There is no break. We absolutely choose to have them and love them but it would be nice to have a minute of peace and quiet in the bathroom once in a while. these are challenging times for everyone.
Some parents make light of the situation and are straight-up hilarious. I’m not talking about these folks, I am talking about the complainers, the real complainers.
The parents who complain online about their children being at home every day all day make me genuinely wonder why they chose to have children in the first place. They did realize their kids would live in their home… right? People That have kids and then get upset they have to look after them (Even during a pandemic) Just perplexes me beyond belief. This is what you signed up for!!! I know parents Are use to sendIng the kids off to school, then after school daycare and then grandmas house And now the parents must raise their own spawn 24/7 instead of relying on caregivers. but for the parents who go online feeling sorry for themselves that they actually have to do All the caregiving dont get any of my sympathy.
I may not know the “joys of motherhood” but I know the joy of spending months alone with My big dogs and Elderly parents and I Don’t complain about it at all 🙂
Trying not to be defensive here as a parent, but I can’t think of too many people who decide to have kids and who do not also have to work to make a living AND who expect to become school teachers to their kids one day. If you’re working from home while caring for kids you are suddenly handling 2 full-time jobs and probably feeling anxious about doing your job well enough not to lose it and parenting/teaching your child well enough to keep them happy, safe and on track developmentally. If you lost your job and are home with kids you are probably feeling anxious about finding work and paying bills. If you are in the small community of homeschool moms (<3%), probably not too many of them had kids contemplating that they will not be able to take their kids out to museums, playgrounds, restaurants, and stores ocassionally to get out of the house and break up the monotony.
Venting online to other adults who may be experiencing the same thing is a free and helpful way for parents to express some of that anxiety in a safe way that is not going to hurt anyone. Maybe you have been seeing an inordinate amount of super mean-spirited complaining but that hasn't been my experience. Most of my friends and neighbors are more in the "what a weird, tough situation that is tough and we are trying to make the best of it but whew" camp.
So we can’t complain about anything we “chose”? Do you never complain about your job, apartment, significant other, pet, car, etc?
No one has ever parented under these circumstances, at least not in the past 100 years. Myself, my parents, and grandparents spent our days in a classroom, 9 months out of the year. School is also legally required where I live, so no, no one chose to have children without the supports that have been in my community since at least the 1940’s (when my grandparents were school age).
We didn’t sign up to be with out children 24/7/365. I certainly wasn’t with my parents 24/7, and honestly that would be weird. I can’t think of a single person in my life who I want to be with 24/7, even those I chose. And no, a dog is nothing like a child.
I dont have kids and wont have kids.
But damn, people are allowed to speak about their experience and vent.
Like… I choose to have a car, knowing there are sometimes maintenance hassles i have to deal with. That doesnt mean its not a hassle and I cant complain when it gets expensive and Inconvenient.
@Lucia, I’m so glad I read this at the end of my day rather than the beginning. My kids started back to (virtual) school today and I had a meltdown. I work full-time, my husband is self-employed and works full-time and then some, and I’ve got two kids at different schools doing online learning. It is A LOT and you can’t compare it to dogs or other adults (WTF??)
My children MISS school. They desperately want to go back, but it’s absolutely not safe in my area and won’t be for some time. We have been with each other in this house nearly constantly since March. I average about 2 showers a week where somebody doesn’t walk in to talk to me. There is nowhere to hide and if you try, they search until they find you.
I’m sorry if you think this is what parents “chose” and we should just STFU. Kids and parents are STRESSED. It’s difficult for me, an intelligent, introverted, fully functional adult, to have been home for 5 months solid. Imagine being an active, creative, outgoing 7 year-old (got one of those) or a socially engaged, extroverted 12 year-old (got one of those, too) and dealing with this. Empathy costs nothing. So does just keeping your negativity to yourself.
I’m so freaking burnt out. I did a video chat with my dad this weekend so he could talk to my two kiddos (2yo and 11yo boys). They adore him and love talking to him and miss him and their other grandparents so much.
Our extended family all live thousands of miles away so we can’t send the kids to the grandparents, nor can grandparents come here.
After the video chat my dad texted me to say that I looked and sounded exhausted and needed to push myself less hard. Sigh. I appreciate his concern, but…how? My husband and I are both nervous about our jobs, can’t afford to take much vacation time and even if we do, there’s no where to go. My kids are with me every second of the day unless they’re asleep.
I get why Thiessen was so excited to send get kids away for the weekend!
But then I feel guilty for complaining, because we’re all safe, healthy, have income (my husband had his pay cut but we’re still doing ok)… So many have it so much worse. I don’t know, y’all. I’m definitely trying to figure out what to do to change things up while staying safe. This is going to carry on for a long time I think.
That last picture looks like a remake of that epic LOL-peed-my-pants moment graciously given to us by Benana (Afflarmas but I prefer Benana by far)
I was fortunate to grow up with parents who never once yelled at me. We still have a good relationship to this day. Cause, meet effect.
I grew up with parents who yelled on occasion, and same. Because they are human. I am a mom who yells occasionally, because I am human. I apologize when I have done so, because I think it’s important to model good behavior to kids, and if I’m wrong, I apologize. But there are times when I’ve asked, and asked, and asked, and told, and told more firmly, and told VERY FIRMLY with the mom face, and then if I yell, everyone gets moving. And we talk about listening the first time so a raised voice isn’t necessary. I’m pretty confident we will continue to have the close, warm, loving relationship we currently enjoy despite my lack of perfection.