When mom takes a break, chaos ensues

KENNETH and Briah Bailey in “Mom’s Time Out” on Lifetime

When three Asian mothers leave their families to go on a luxury getaway, chaos ensues.

The Lifetime reality program “Mom’s Time Out” treats a few chosen mothers from the Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia to a vacation. They leave their household responsibilities to their husbands.

Filipino spouses Kenneth and Emerald Bailey thought it was the perfect opportunity for their family to change certain things for five days. Kenneth, a call center employee, sought to bond with their 2-year-old daughter Briah while full-time housewife Emerald went on a four-day getaway with other mommies in Vietnam.

“It was my idea to join the show,” Emerald told the Inquirer via a conference call. “When it was offered to us, I [thought] it was the perfect time for Kenneth and Briah to bond.”

Kenneth added, “It also seemed a good opportunity for Emerald to take a little break and have a good time, since being a housewife is a really hard job.”

The Baileys revealed that they had to prepare and improve a few things for the five-episode series.

“When the show was about to start, my mindset was to try and be positive at all times because I wasn’t sure what would happen in those five days,” Kenneth said.

Emerald had a manicure and pedicure. “I prepared myself to be not too emotional over the fact that I’d be away from home. I failed; there was this day during the trip when I saw a video of Briah. I cried.”

Camera tail

Kenneth said it was tough getting followed by cameras at first, but that he got to adjust eventually. “In the following days, I [felt] like an actor. [Because of] the cameras, people started looking. It was fun.”

The frazzled husband had to adjust his sleeping schedule for the show as well. Some of the most challenging, drama-fraught scenarios that Kenneth and his daughter figured in included a dental appointment and a picnic.

Timely, relevant

The Baileys’ TV experience came with timely and relevant lessons, according to the couple. Emerald noted, “This experience [reminded] us that parenting is really hard. Sometimes you don’t know if you’re doing the right thing.”

Kenneth added, “There’s no perfect parent, either. You just have to do your best from day to day, give your all to your child, and make sure you address their needs.”

Just as important, Emerald said, is to have “me” time once in a while: “It will not make you less of a good mother if you enjoy some time alone… It’s important to sometimes be away from mom duties, which can be very draining at times.”

(“Mom’s Time Out” airs Friday, 7 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.; and Sunday, 7:30 p.m. on Lifetime.)