A famous TikTok couple have broken their silence after receiving criticism for leaving their two toddlers alone in their cabin to sleep while they ate in the ship’s restaurant.
Abby and Matt Howard received widespread criticism when they revealed that they went out to dinner during their seven-night cruise while their sons Griffin, two, and August, one, were asleep.
“We ended up taking them for five nights and it became clear that they didn’t like it and neither did we,” Abby said in a now-expired Instagram Story.
“So then we moved our dinner time to after their bedtime and FaceTimed with the monitors while we ate. And that worked out much better for everyone.”
The couple had to set the record straight on Monday night with a TikTok video in which they claimed a family member was always with the children.
“We take our role as parents very seriously and love our children more than anything in the world and are very protective of our children,” Matt began.
Famous TikTok couple Abby and Matt Howard have broken their silence after receiving extreme online backlash for admitting they left their two twins alone in a cabin on a cruise ship while they enjoyed dinner
The couple has been together since high school and has more than seven million subscribers on YouTube
“We always had someone with our kids on this boat. Period,” Matt said, adding that the speculation surrounding them was “completely untrue.”
His wife joined in the conversation and said, “I understand that my story has caused misunderstandings. That’s why I deleted it a few hours after I posted it. I saw that it caused unrest and misunderstandings.”
Abby then thanked everyone online for their “concern for the safety and well-being” of their children.
‘As parents, that is our first and biggest concern…. So, thank you.
“But I do want to make it clear that we have never left our children unattended, would never leave them, and will never leave them unattended. We would never, ever want to put them in harm’s way in any way,” she added.
They said they take their role as parents “extremely seriously” and that speculation about them is “utterly untrue.”
TikToks have since appeared with the now expired story of what Abby had said, seen here
The mother said her family would work together to help the couple look after the children, adding how “grateful” they are for doing so.
Viewers quickly began speculating about their statement, with one saying, “I hope this is the truth.”
“Thanks for the clarification as it came across as if the boys were alone – context is everything,” wrote another.
In Abby’s original post, she wrote that the baby monitors the couple brought with them weren’t working on board, so they used FaceTime to watch the couple as they slept.
Social media users who follow the couple were quick to criticize the move, citing the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, who vanished from her family’s holiday home in Portugal in 2007.
One Reddit user wrote: “It’s literally common sense that you don’t leave a baby unattended.
‘If it were socially and morally acceptable to leave babies without adult supervision, babysitting services wouldn’t exist.
‘Are they really that f****** stupid? Don’t they watch the news, didn’t they see what happened to Madeline McCann?
“I’m actually shocked at how irresponsible these two are. If they feel comfortable leaving their babies unattended on a cruise ship, have they done this at home before?”
Another added: ‘The fact that they’re posting about it like it’s some genius parenting trick is just idiotic.
“They are irresponsible teenagers in adult bodies.”
The couple has been together since high school and has over 5.3 million followers on TikTok and over seven million subscribers on YouTube.
The couple hosts ‘The Unplanned Podcast,’ a podcast that “delves deep into heartfelt conversations about relationships and family.”
The couple has been together since high school and has more than seven million followers on YouTube
In December 2022, Abby shared Raising Children in Arizona that the couple wanted the focus of their content to be on how they deal with parenthood.
She said, “We never want to sacrifice our relationship or our family for [social media fame]That was one of my biggest concerns when I started this.
“By constantly talking to each other and always prioritizing ourselves and our family, we can continue to do this.
“We want the focus to be on ourselves and how we handle parenting, rather than just Griffin.”
Matt added: ‘If you had told me three years ago that this would be our life, I would have laughed.
“We always dreamed of working together one day and now it’s happening. It’s the best thing ever.”