New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was adorably interrupted by her three-year-old daughter Neve who was up past her bedtime last night, during a Facebook live video on the details of her government’s COVID-19 response.
“You’re meant to be in bed,” Ardern said on the live video, turning to the side where her daughter had unexpectedly entered the room.
“It’s bedtime darling. Pop back to bed and I’ll come and see you in a second.”
“Nanny will take you down to bed. Thanks Nana!”
Laughing, Ardern turned back to the camera and said, “Well, that was a bed time fail, wasn’t it?”
“Sorry everyone, I thought ‘Here’s a moment, I’ll do a Facebook Live, we’re nice and safe,” she said.
“Does anyone else have their kids escape like three, four times after bedtime? Thankfully, my mum’s here, so she can help out.”
After Ardern’s mother had taken Neve back to bed, Ardern seamlessly got back to her update, taking the surprise appearance from her daughter in her stride.
“Okay, where were we?”
Although we’ve become more attuned to seeing parents juggle looking after kids while working during the pandemic – the ‘BBC Dad’ is one memorable example – it’s still pretty rare for politicians to give us this kind of insight to their home lives with young children.
Let’s hope that last night’s surprise appearance from three-year-old Neve is another step towards normalising the reality of politicians having lives that involve their children and caring responsibilities.
Watch the video below:
Watch the moment PM Jacinda Ardern’s 3-year-old daughter Neve interrupted her during a COVID update on Facebook live 👇 pic.twitter.com/jj5zokPoVm
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) November 9, 2021