A viral TikTok video of a stay-at-home dad, Marcus Stricklin, lays out rules at home for his four children reenacting Gru from the "Despicable Me." His wife works from home, and he has to care for his four daughters who will do homeschooling and his three-year-old son who is not be schooling yet.
Since there is a lot of chaos, the Glendale, Arizona, dad decided to imitate Gru from a famous animation to set out ground rules while they do schooling. Together with his three daughters, 11-year-old Sophie, 9-year-old Addison, and 8-year-old Nora, Stricklin recreates a scene from "Despicable Me."
Gru welcomes his three adoptive daughters
The family copied a scene where Gru welcomed his adopted daughters, Edith, Margo, and Agnes into his home. At the start of the TikTok video, the dad mimics Gru and does lip syncs, saying that they need to set some rules. Just like Gru, Stricklin told the girls that they could not touch anything and that they should not bother him while working.
@marcusthecreatorDaily house rules. ##fyp ##despicableme ##fypシ ##parentsoftiktok # ♬ original sound - beauthentic8
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Bored at home
Stricklin's daughters adorably imitate Edith, Margo, and Agnes, and ask their dad questions. Stricklin said that his school-age children are all well-behaved.
The idea for the funny video struck Stricklin a week ago as school was starting soon. He explained that when a sibling is in a Zoom class, the other kids tend to get bored at home. Thus, they start getting loud, and chaos starts.
Instead of laying down rules the ordinary way, Stricklin came up with a great idea and shared it with his children. He initiated the idea of doing the "Despicable Me" way, and his kids all laughed. However, Stricklin said that he was half-serious about his suggestion.
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Stricklin said that making videos with his children was fun. It has been a great outlet for their kids because the pandemic has caused them to be bound at home, and sometimes it gets boring. For him, it is a no-brainer to combine an activity that they like to do with giving out a set of rules.
Teaches children to be respectful
He said that he wants his children to understand that people are working at home despite being stuck at home due to the pandemic. He wants to teach them that they have to be respectful so that other people could do their work.
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View this post on InstagramA post shared by Marcus A. Stricklin (@marcusthetoken) on Apr 30, 2020 at 11:14am PDT
Families and policymakers decide whether to let children go back to school. They have to weigh the pros and cons of letting children go back to in-person schooling. The CDC noted that it is well known that the closing of schools has affected the social, emotional, and behavioral health of the kids. Parents should consider these things for their decision whether to let their kids back to school or to do homeschooling.
