Mom’s messy car confession gets her praised and mom shamed at the same time

Sometimes, no matter how hard moms try, staying ahead of the mess just doesn’t happen. Even keeping the car clean can seem like a an overwhelming chore. Most moms probably want to keep their messy car a secret. But Nikki Pennington decided to show off her mess in a symbol of solidarity to other struggling moms.

In a post titled “Hot Mess Moms,” Pennington put it all out there by sharing a photo of the inside of her car. Here’s the truth: It looks like a tornado went through it. But the mom of three boys doesn’t let that stop her from giving a shout-out to other busy parents.

Pennington gave US Magazine a rundown on just some of the things you might find in her car on any given day.

“You will find water bottles at all different stages of life from full to half full and empty, Pop Tart wrappers from the mornings when cooking breakfast was not an option, empty juice boxes and papers that I was supposed to sign and return,” she confessed. “The reality is that motherhood is messy. It doesn’t look picture perfect all the time and doesn’t have to. I’m busy raising good human beings so my car is not on my priority list.”

She tipped her hat (or water bottle, based on the picture) to all kinds of moms, including “The ones that let their child out at the drop off line and yesterday mornings breakfast wrapper rolls out with them… The moms that just found that homework assignment they were supposed to sign on August 1 as they were cleaning their cars… The mom still trying to find where that smell in the truck is coming from… The moms that live inside their cars four times a day, five days a week and don’t have time to clean up that mess they just move it over.” And the list goes on.

In the end, she asks her readers to simply embrace these messy moms:

But why put yourself out there for people to see and comment upon?

“I knew I wasn’t alone in this because I have friends with cars that look the same,” she told Huffington Post.

Readers Have Mixed Reactions

As with any viral post, commenters’ replies varied from full-fledged support to utter shock and horror.

Some people shared their own messes in appreciation of Pennington’s picture:

Others commiserated with the messy car chaos:

“It’s not just me!” one Facebook user commented. “Redemption!”

“Add in my reusable coffee mugs and I’m right there with ya (including the Dr. Pepper). Thanks for keeping it real!” said other commenter.

However, not everyone saw the humor in Pennington’s post. In fact, many felt disgusted by what they saw.

“Maybe instead of taking the photo and making this post, use that time to clean it up,” someone replied.

“I’m sorry for your excuses. But I would rather walk than in a pig sty of a car. Make ur kids get out there and clean the car out. Ur just showing them it’s ok to be lazy. This is what’s wrong with kids today. Kids are not given responsibilities anymore.”

“Just nasty. It doesn’t take much effort to pick up your trash as you leave the car. Are you that lazy?”

Everyone has an opinion. So, what do you think? Is this mom keeping it real or simply making excuses?