The primary time a video by Ceci Kane got here throughout my Instagram feed, she was recreating a typical scene from one of many Web’s richest sources of drama: Fb mother teams. What millennial mother hasn’t stumbled throughout a wild Fb argument about breastfeeding, or a raucous Reddit dogpile about baby-led weaning, or perhaps a notably spicy TikTok remark part about one thing you’d by no means even imagined may very well be controversial? It’s merely a part of the panorama of being a mother within the period of the social media. You’ve gotta chuckle about it… or else you’ll be absorbed into the drama. And Kane excels at recreating that drama.
Kane has parlayed her eye for the ridiculous right into a thriving platform, @kanececi, and branched out into all areas of mother humor. I lately received an opportunity to catch up and study extra about her life; we chatted in regards to the chaotic glories of Purchase Nothing teams, the subjects which can be certain to ship any Fb feedback part right into a frenzy, and her favourite Associates bits.
Scary Mommy: Inform me just a little bit about your self.
Ceci Kane: I am in Michigan and I’ve two youngsters and my husband right here, and we now have a canine. I am a full-time working mother; I work full time as an inside designer.
SM: What stage of parenting are you in?
CK: My youngsters, one in every of them is sort of 7 after which my youngest is 3 and a half. So we’re slowly beginning to exit the toddler part, but it surely’s nonetheless loopy. As an alternative of the wildness of toddlerhood, now it is simply these insane busy schedules with sports activities and extracurriculars. It is only a entire completely different ball sport. It has been a little bit of an adjustment attempting to get used to that. I anticipated issues to decelerate, which they’ve, however in addition they are choosing up differently, so it has been an attention-grabbing change.
SM: Yeah, I really feel like I spend so much much less time wiping butts and much more time frantically attempting to get from place to put.
CK: Yeah, completely. It has been actually attention-grabbing adjusting to that, as a result of toddlerhood is loopy, but it surely’s sluggish in its personal means, since you’re simply type of floating round. You are not fearful about getting to bop and getting to high school and doing all these items. It is similar to, “Let’s go to the park. Let’s get you to daycare.” It’s extremely sluggish in that regard. However I am excited, as a result of my daughter went by means of a very heavy tantrum stage, which I by no means skilled with my son. My son could be very chill, he is all the time been very chill, very easygoing and versatile. Then after we had our daughter, it was like we have been parenting for the primary time once more.
We received just a little cocky and thought we knew what we have been doing as a result of we’re second-time dad and mom, but it surely didn’t matter. They have been simply whole polar opposites. When the tantrum stage hit with our daughter, I simply did not even know what to do. So it has been very nice that we’re beginning to transition out of that. She nonetheless has her moments, but it surely’s good that it is not simply fixed tantrums.
SM: How did you get began with the social media stuff?
CK: I had began a brand new job working remotely, so I used to be at dwelling on a regular basis. I had downloaded TikTok and I assumed it was actually enjoyable to scroll. I used to be type of a lurker for a yr or two. In 2022, I simply began type of goofing round. If I had just a little break, it was a pleasant artistic launch, which is attention-grabbing as a result of I’ve a job the place I get to be artistic, but it surely’s a unique type of artistic.
It was only for me, only for enjoyable. I did not actually care. It felt actually cringey on the time. After which I randomly had a video go viral, as a result of I did not truly begin within the parenting area. I had a very area of interest nook of the web speaking about… Are you aware what Purchase Nothing teams are on Fb?
SM: Oh man, I might stroll you round this home and present you all the good stuff I’ve gotten off of Purchase Nothing.
CK: It was eight o’clock at evening and I simply noticed a random bowl sitting on my desk, and so I made just a little bit about Purchase Nothing teams and the way bizarre they’re with the feedback. That one went semi-viral. Then I began to make different movies nearly Purchase Nothing teams within the remark sections, and that was actually taking off.
After which I made a decision, “If I wish to maintain doing this, I do not know if I wish to be the Purchase Nothing woman.” I wished to discover different issues that I may very well be artistic with, like different cores of the web. That is after I did a by-product mainly into Fb mother teams. And that is when my accounts went loopy. That is after I began to actually acquire a following.
It was basically the identical factor, the identical format of a video speaking about Fb mother teams and the way loopy they’re and the feedback and all of that. My accounts took off from there, and that is after I actually began to spiral, extra into the parenting area. I branched out just a little bit extra and did different skits and different movies. That’s the way it all got here collectively. It felt prefer it actually simply fell into my lap, however I additionally ran with it just a little bit too.
SM: I am in a bunch chat with two different buddies, and a lot of that group chat is like, “Did you see someone attempt to give this factor away on Purchase Nothing?” And it is one thing like previous meals.
CK: Yeah. I had loads of enjoyable doing these. Each as soon as in a blue moon, I’d do one other one, however I do not do them very a lot anymore. It was a pleasant, enjoyable time for me, at the least in my part of content material creation. It was so early, so I wasn’t fearful in regards to the lighting and I wasn’t fearful in regards to the stress. It was tremendous uncurated and random and off the cuff.
It is just a little bit tougher now. I really feel like for me, I do not find out about others, however I used to have the ability to just do random stuff. Every little thing I did, I just about ad-libbed it, and now I’ve to consider it just a little bit extra. However I am attempting to get again to that type of random, extra off the cuff and never placing a lot stress on myself to create content material.
SM: What does your course of appear like nowadays? Do you might have just a little studio nook in your home?
CK: Properly, as a result of I make money working from home, I can use my entire home as my studio. So my tripods and my lights and the whole lot, the whole lot’s everywhere in the home on a regular basis. I attempt to maintain it considerably contained, however I am actually unhealthy at that. And I’ve a Notes app of concepts that is miles lengthy. And I have never executed so a lot of them as a result of loads of them require just a little bit extra of a manufacturing or no matter. But it surely’s humorous to look again and, “Oh yeah, I forgot I used to be going to make a Reel about that. I ought to try this.” So it is like if I am ever in a artistic funk and I really feel like I wish to put up one thing, however I do not know what, if I am not likely feeling it, I will go to that Notes app for inspiration.
SM: What does your loved ones make of the entire thing?
CK: They have been actually supportive because the starting. And now my son, he’ll be like, “Mother, are you making a video?” He is far more conscious now than he was two years in the past. He asks me on a regular basis, “Can I be in a single?” I do not present my youngsters on my content material. Very, very hardly ever I will present them with their faces blurred or their backs to incorporate them, as a result of they do wish to be included, however I am attempting to additionally shield their privateness. However they’ve all the time been actually supportive.
I did not inform my dad I used to be doing this. My mother was all the time supportive from the start, however I by no means instructed my dad about it, till a yr later after I began having articles popping out on The As we speak Present and that type of stuff. That is when my dad was like, “Why didn’t you inform me you have been doing this?” And I used to be like, “I assumed you’d suppose it was silly. I do not know.” He is a extremely artistic and musical particular person too, however we are able to have loads of completely different views on stuff. However now he tells all people. When individuals ask, “Oh, what does your daughter do?” He tells them I am a content material creator. He does not even point out my full-time job. He is been wildly supportive.
SM: That is humorous. What are the spiciest Fb mother group subjects, in your expertise? What actually sends a remark part into chaos?
CK: Circumcision, pacifiers, breastfeeding versus bottle feeding — these are in all probability the highest three. Others can be Tylenol or medicines or vaccinations. After which baby-led weaning or feeding. These are in all probability the highest ones the place individuals will simply go insane. In loads of the teams that I was in, a few of these subjects have been banned as a result of individuals simply go for one another’s throats in there. It is like watching a dumpster hearth typically.
And also you feed into it and it turns into this bizarre culty conduct — particularly whenever you’re a brand new mother and also you’re freshly postpartum and also you’re getting all of this recommendation from all of those completely different individuals with all of those completely different opinions. Like I used to be on a breastfeeding web page and searching again, I used to be like, “Man, was I a type of individuals?” I used to be attempting to be useful, however now I really feel like possibly it was perceived in a means that I did not intend, but it surely’s undoubtedly how I felt when individuals responded to me. It is like you might get caught up within the insanity.
You may be useful and have good recommendation or useful recommendation or simply phrases of solidarity, however I really feel such as you additionally need to watch out to not dogpile, as a result of the dogpiling is what will get individuals.
Oh, the opposite one is automotive seats. That is my first one which went nuts. You can be speaking about one thing completely irrelevant to the automotive seat, however there is a image of your child within the automotive seat and folks simply hone in on the automotive seat and folks can simply have these actually snarky responses and phrases of recommendation. And whereas it is great as a result of we would like infants to be secure, some individuals’s supply may be loopy. And if 200 individuals have already mentioned, “This is what you are doing unsuitable,” you saying, “This is what you are doing unsuitable” — you are including nothing to the dialog.
SM: So what do you do to unwind? Are you a binge TV watcher?
CK: I’m a binge TV watcher. My present present, nicely, I did watch A Good Woman’s Information to Homicide, which was actually good. However proper now I have been doing loads of consolation exhibits. My two go-tos are Schitt’s Creek and Associates. So I simply type of hearken to these on repeat till I discover a sequence or one thing that I am wanting ahead to watching, after which I will binge that after which I will return to my consolation exhibits till one thing else comes out that pursuits me.
SM: What’s your favourite Associates episode?
CK: Oh my gosh. There’s so many. Wow. It is nearly like simply my favourite bits, greater than entire episodes. There’s the self-defense episode when Phoebe and Rachel come out from behind the curtains to scare Ross as a result of he is attempting to inform them that they know nothing about self-defense. I really like that one. My husband’s chiming within the one the place Joey does not share meals as a result of his date retains consuming the meals off of his plate. I do not share meals both.
SM: An actual parenting problem, having the ability to eat your personal rattling meals.
CK: I hate sharing my meals with my youngsters, as a result of they solely ever need mine. I all the time have to cover in a nook or one thing. I’ve this spot in my kitchen the place if I squat down, they cannot see me. So I will sit towards the nook there and I will eat a snack.
SM: What’s your Instagram appear like? Who do you observe? Who do you advocate?
CK: I’ve so many. I actually like Sean Szeps. Anna Lee, love her. I actually like Janelle, @MillennialMatLeave. She does parenting stuff and in addition loads of her stuff has to do with mother-in-law relationships. And it is simply actually refreshing. I even have a terrific relationship with my mother-in-law, however I really like her account as a result of loads of the instruments that she makes use of and the conversations that she has, I really feel like these may be had with anyone who’s problematic in your life. Janelle’s content material is basically useful in simply coping with any poisonous particular person. So I actually like to observe her for, I do not know, simply solidarity even. Gwenna Laithland — @MommaCusses.
I similar to individuals who can simply maintain it actual, who’re chill and it does not really feel like they’re simply attempting to make content material. It simply seems like they’re being themselves. I simply actually like people who find themselves simply unapologetically themselves.
This interview has been edited for readability and size.
