Parents of young children who have been working from home will likely find Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s prime minister, quite relatable. The 41-year-old Kiwi politician was holding an after-hours live stream on Facebook updating New Zealanders with the country’s COVID-19 response when her little girl adorably interrupted her.
Midway through her chat, a small voice could be heard in the background saying, “Mummy?”
Politicians are used to interruptions during speeches, but not many heads of state can report being cut off by their toddler.
As you can see in the video posted on YouTube by NBC News, the PM addressed her 3-year-old daughter, Neve, lovingly before turning back to the camera.
“You’re meant to be in bed, darling,” Ardern said, turning toward the little voice. “It’s bedtime darling pop back to bed. I’ll come and see you in a second.”
She apologized to the Facebook Live audience briefly before she was interrupted again.
“Yeah, Nanny will take you down to bed (thanks, Nana),” Ardern said, referring to her mother, who was nearby, before returning to the camera. “Well, that was a bedtime fail, wasn’t it? Sorry, everyone, I thought here’s a moment. I’ll do a Facebook Live we’re nice and safe. Does anyone else have kids escape like three, four times after bedtime?”
The prime minister tried to regain her train of thought and continue her talk, but little Neve would not be dissuaded. Finally, after a short reprieve, she came back to tell her mum it was simply taking too long.
“Oh, it is. I’m sorry, darling. It is taking so long,” affirmed Ardern, who decided to wrap up the live stream.
“…Sorry, everyone. I’m going to just go and put Neve back to bed,” she apologized and then thanked the audience for joining her. “I think I’ve covered everything that I wanted to share at this point anyway, but maybe I’ll jump online for an extended version.”
“An extended uninterrupted version,” she added.
Neve Te Aroha Ardern Gayford is the only child of Ardern and her partner, Clarke Gayford, who have plans to wed during the southern hemisphere’s summer. Neve’s birth in 2018 made Ardern the second elected world leader in modern history to give birth while holding office. Pakistan’s late two-time Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was the first when she gave birth to her daughter in 1990.
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