There are moments in motherhood when you feel like you’ve got it all together. And then there are moments when you accidentally activate the child lock on your oven and trap a potato inside for an entire week. It’s called BALANCE. Look it up.
TikToker and relatable queen Dani (@dani_b_unfiltered) recently gifted the internet with one of these moments and we are so here for it.
It all started innocently enough.
Dani, like many of us at 6 p.m. on a Tuesday, just wanted a baked potato. She tossed it in the oven, went to adjust the settings, and somewhere in that button-smashing journey, she activated the oven’s child lock. And that potato? It wasn’t coming out.
Naturally, she turned to the first line of defense: yelling at the appliance. When that didn’t work, she consulted the mysterious, definitely haunted, instruction manual.
Unfortunately, the manual might as well have been written in hieroglyphics. The advice? “Just do what you did but in reverse.” Wow. SUPER helpful. Thanks.
She turned to Google.
The top tip? “Consult your manual.” Dani, now spiraling (and understandably hungry), screamed into the void: “This is a RENTAL!” (Because of course, rental ovens never come with manuals. They come with grime and regretting all your life decisions.)
She tried everything. Holding down random button combos, sweet-talking the oven, threatening it with an air fryer takeover. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. The potato remained a prisoner and Dani toiled on.
Now, some would give up. But Dani? She documented every hilarious and increasingly desperate moment. “Who child-locks an oven?” she asked. “Oh right … responsible people. Good for them.” You could feel her soul slowly leaving her body with every “error” beep.
After an hour of trial and error (and yes, actually reading the manual), she accepted defeat.
But the sad story doesn’t end there for our defeated potato warrior.
A week later (yes, a full week of living off toast, cereal, and air-fried eggs, which she does not recommend), Dani returned with an update. The potato? Still locked up. The oven? Still mocking her. So much the being a “sweet” potato.
Just when Dani had all but given up on her sweet and savory treat, a hero emerged. Dani’s roommate, who had just returned from what I assume was a relaxing vacation where appliances function properly, listened patiently to the saga.
She calmly grabbed the manual, pressed two (very obvious) buttons, and the oven popped open. Just. Like. That.
Dani? Bewildered. The potato? It was done for. Ash. A charred relic of Dani’s weeklong battle with kitchen technology. A culinary casualty.
Now, to be fair, Dani did read the instructions.
She just misread which buttons to press. An easy mistake. A classic case of mom brain + rental appliance + hangry energy. We’ve ALL been there.
So, what’s the moral of the story?
- Never underestimate the complexity of modern ovens.
- Always have a roommate (or a child) who reads directions better than you.
- The manual is not your enemy, but it might be your nemesis.
Dani’s potato mishap reminds us that motherhood is filled with tiny battles. Some you win, and some end in carbonized starch. But if you can laugh (and make the internet laugh with you), you’re doing just fine!
