An influencer couple have been forced to explain “unfounded” allegations that they left their two young children alone in their cabin while enjoying a romantic dinner at a cruise ship restaurant.
Influencers Matt and Abby Howard took their two sons, Griffin, 2, and August, 1, on a seven-night weekend cruise, with Abby posting a photo of herself enjoying dinner with Matt while chatting with her two young children over FaceTime in their cabin.
Abbie, 25, claimed she was forced to do so because the baby monitor “didn't work” on the cruise ship.
Many online were quick to assume that this meant the couple had left their children behind in the shed, but Abbie's subsequent deletion of the post only added fuel to the fire.
Some even drew sharp comparisons between the situation and that of Madeleine McCann, the British girl who disappeared from her family's villa in Portugal in 2007 after her parents went out to dinner, leaving her alone.
“Have they never heard of Madeleine McCann?” one Reddit user quipped. Commented on the post About that incident.
“Reminds me of Madeleine McCann,” added another.
“The first person I thought of was Madeleine McCann, who also had wayward parents who wanted some adult time over the holidays,” another user wrote.
But facing growing backlash, the TikTok parents were forced to clarify the facts on Monday, releasing a lengthy video explaining that their children were not alone on the cruise ship “at any time.”
“We take our roles as parents very seriously and we love our kids more than anything in the world. We are very protective of our kids,” Matt, 26, said in the video. Instagram.
“People began to speculate and believe that we had left the children alone in the guest room, which is completely unfounded.”
Matt sternly insisted that the two young children “are watched over at all times on this ship. Period.”
“I know my post was misleading,” Abby said. “I removed it a few hours after posting it because I realized it was causing anxiety and confusion.”
The mother of two thanked her followers for their “concern for the safety and wellbeing” of her two young children.
“It really means a lot to know that other people have the same concerns about our precious boys,” Abby said.
“But I want to be very clear that we have never and will never leave children alone. We never want to put children at risk in any way.”
She then revealed a “baby monitor situation,” explaining that the infants sleep in a “light-proof tent” that has a place to place a monitor.
“We keep their monitors on all the time, watching what's going on in the tent, making sure they're OK, asleep, awake,” a TikTok user shared.
“We just love keeping an eye on them and we're always worried about them.”
Abbie added that she and her husband “take turns” watching the FaceTime calls.
“We're so grateful to you guys. We spent a lot of time in the ship's cabin manning the baby monitors,” Matt said.
“If it weren't for Abby's relatives, we wouldn't really get a chance to get out of the room.”
Still, social media users are questioning whether the young parents are telling the truth or trying to cover up the evidence.
“Why would they need to be monitored if they're with a trusted adult? Seriously weird,” commented one Instagram user.
“Isn't it weird that you didn't say who was looking after the baby?” asked another.
“If someone was watching your kids, why did you post it in the first place?” another user asked.
Many called for further clarification of the situation, while others defended the Howards.
“People will literally criticise you for everything. You are just a normal young family living, learning and growing. Everyone in the comments section acts as if they are perfect,” one user wrote.
“You can see by Abby's face how upset she is about this. Don't worry about it, people will always talk about something,” another commented.
“It makes me sad that as parents we have to explain ourselves or we'll be scrutinized. Like it's none of our business. You guys are amazing,” added another.
Matt and Abby were high school sweethearts and married in July 2019. Three years later, their family began to grow when they welcomed sons into the world in July 2022 and August 2023.
The couple, who have been together since high school, have more than 5 million followers on TikTok and 7 million subscribers on YouTube, and are also hosts of “The Unplanned Podcast,” which “digs into honest conversations about relationships and family.”
