Woman Went Viral as 'Bad Mom' for Sending Her Daughter, 3, Away for 6 Weeks. Now, She's Setting the Record Straight (Exclusive)

Kayla GrantWed, June 24, 2026 at 7:33 PM UTC

5

Savannah West and her daughter CassidyCredit: Courtesy of Savannah West (2) -

Savannah West, a 29-year-old Atlanta-based mom, faced backlash after sharing a TikTok joking about sending her daughter away for an extended trip to her grandparents

West was shocked by the criticism from other parents, noting that she "never thought" the "funny, very lighthearted" video would turn into this viral moment-

Now, West is setting the record straight in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE

One mom was shocked when she was deemed a "bad mom" for posting a video that she thought was "funny and very lighthearted."

Savannah West, a 29-year-old journalist and founder of creative agency Studio 48, didn't expect to spark controversy when she shared a video on TikTok of her daughter Cassidy, 3, unaware of an upcoming extended trip to her grandparents' house in Arizona. In the comment section, many users slammed the Atlanta-based mom for sending her daughter across the country for six weeks while she went away on work trips and personal vacations, accusing her of being a "bad mom."

"That video was very funny, very lighthearted. Look at her playing with her bubbles. She doesn't know what's about to happen," she tells PEOPLE, referring to the video, which has garnered over 1.7 million views. "I said, 'Please do not call Paw Patrol. She is fine.' It was just a joke, she knew."

"The funny part is that she's always asking for her suitcase, and she wants to go to the airport because she knows," West adds. "I thought that that video was funny, so I figured it would get views. But I never thought that it would turn into all of this."

According to West, what many people don't know is that it took a lot of convincing for West to be comfortable sending her daughter away. In fact, it was West's mom who convinced her to let her daughter stay at her house for an extended period of time.

"A lot of people are under the assumption that I have been asking my mom for a break or asking her to keep my daughter, and that is not the case," she says. "My mom had to convince me that I needed this break because I think Cassidy is so cool and so fun, and I love her."

Savannah West, her daughter Cassidy and her grandmotherCredit: Courtesy of Savannah West

West explains she was shocked when she noticed comments from parents who were criticizing her. The working mom says many parents expressed that they couldn't "even stomach their children being at school all day," or over 24 hours. In response, she posted a follow-up video the next day, addressing the comments and giving her "hot take."

"All the moms that are saying they don't want to be away from their children, I would go and look at their pages, or it would take me two seconds to realize you don't have nothing else going on. It's just the kids," West says. "I think that that is the differentiator between me and the others in the video who disagreed with me."

"I don't know a single parent, man or woman, who had a very fun, successful, joy-filled, active life and then had a child and turned their back on it," she continues. "I don't know a single parent that's done that."

The doting mom tells PEOPLE that she doesn't let any of the negative comments get to her, and she knows she's being a good example for her daughter.

"I'm showing my daughter that women work, women run businesses, women are successful, [and] women have full lives," West explains. "I think [that's the] perfect response to people saying, 'How could you?' I'm showing my daughter exactly what I think that a little Black girl should see."

"I want her to look back and think, 'Oh my gosh, my mom was so happy.' I want her to see that I was happy. I want her to see that I was taken care of," she adds. "I ain't sacrificing a thing. I want her to know that I went hard for her."

The published writer — whose last viral TikTok led her to write an opinion piece about the topic on both her Substack and in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution — says that for some women, becoming a mom in their 20s might feel like a "setback." She says even her mom, who's "extremely supportive" of her and her family, initially thought her career was "going to have to stop" when she told her she was pregnant with Cassidy. However, West decided in that moment that she wouldn't let that be her story.

Advertisement

"When you have a kid in your 20s, it could feel like a setback, or it could feel like something that paused your life or slowed you down, and I never want [my daughter] to feel like that," West shares. "I don't want her to feel any resentment for me. I want her to know that she was a very fun addition to my life, and that I enjoyed her and that I did not just sacrifice for her. "

"You'll never catch me on the Internet talking about motherhood trenches or hate my toddler, hate my kid, dumping them off somewhere because I can't stand them," she adds. "I love her, and she's incredibly fun, and that's what I want her to know."

West says the controversy surrounding the video emphasized an important reminder for her.

"As a woman, you can't do anything right. If you dress conservatively, then you're boring. If you dress a little bit more scantily, then you are promiscuous. If you work a lot and you're ambitious, then you're not family-oriented, but if you don't work and you let a man take care of you, then you're lazy," she says. "We already get a lot of pushback on any decision that we make, and as a mom, I feel like it's just amplified."

After becoming a mom, West says she faced even more pushback for trying to balance her career and life with motherhood. However, she's found a way to balance it all with the support from her family and her partner.

Savannah West and her daughter CassidyCredit: Courtesy of Savannah West

"I have every single hour of my day planned. I plan my life weeks and months at a time. I do a lot of forecasting, and that's my personal way of ensuring that I can do it all," she explains. "But, I would be remiss if I did not say that my village and my support system are the way that I'm able to get it done."

West believes people are missing a key point when watching her videos. "The point that people are missing is that taking care of yourself or prioritizing yourself does not make you less of a mother," she says.

Savannah West and her daughter CassidyCredit: Courtesy of Savannah West

— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

"Neglecting yourself and not getting your hair and nails done, letting go of your career, setting your ambition aside, those things don't make you a better mom," she explains.

Ultimately, West says she doesn't care about the backlash from people who follow her on social media. She plans to continue creating the content she does and normalizing her lifestyle with the goal to reach those who were told that they couldn't have it all.

"I want to reach the girls who are interested in becoming a mom, but feel like they have to choose because you don't," she shares. "I'm not looking to encourage people to have children or convince young girls to have kids because that's a very personal choice."

She adds, "But, if you're on the fence and the only reason that you don't want to is because you think you have to choose between yourself and motherhood, that is not true. And that's the example that I want to give."

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”