A candid TikTok by a 23-year-old mother about the realities of raising children without a strong support system is making waves online.
In the trending clip, the woman, Briel (@BBrieelz), shares her personal struggles as a single mother of three, echoing another woman’s warning that young girls need to hear the hard truth before starting families.
“I would not wish this life on my worst enemy,” Briel says in the video. “The life you pictured, wanted, and were promised—you’re not going to get it back. Let it go.”
Briel describes the challenges of caring for three young children, all still in diapers, with little help from others. She says promises made during her pregnancies quickly faded, leaving her without the “village” that many new mothers hope for.
“Nobody wants to watch three little babies,” she explains, adding that even the fathers may only show up “when it’s beneficial” for them.
The young mother also reveals her battle with depression, recounting a week-long hospital stay after an overdose.
“Most nights I cry myself to sleep… my hair is falling out from stress,” she says, describing the toll that isolation, financial strain, and limited childcare options have taken on her mental health.
Briel’s message is blunt: “Don’t have kids. Love is not enough—these men don’t care.”
She warns young women that while some get “lucky” with supportive partners and strong family networks, many others will face unrelenting hardship, financial instability, and emotional exhaustion.
Her honesty has struck a nerve with thousands online, igniting a debate about societal expectations placed on mothers, the lack of affordable childcare, and the emotional weight of parenting without support.
For Briel, the takeaway is simple: “Stop at one kid—or don’t have any. This life is too hard to be doing it alone.”
