A kid's worst nightmare: watching your parents date

Breana Sturgis (far left), Destiny Orr (left) and Noah Petrick gather together to pull the strings and help their parents get a second chance at love. Photo courtesy of HBO Max

People usually view their parents as a loving mentor, the rule enforcer and an at-the-ready Uber driver. Also, the person who always has the credit card.

But seeing your parents cuddling, wearing spandex and discussing their preferences in the bedroom might make any kid want to hurl and gag at the same time. University of North Texas alumna Carlie Kauffman is just one of the victims who experienced this trauma after being humiliated by her dad, Grant, after his appearance on a new HBO Max parent-dating series.

"(One of the) cringiest moments was seeing my dad rap on national television," Kauffman said at a Feb. 10 college roundtable. "I was in disbelief. I was sick. He's been talking about this for years, and he refused to show me (the show), so that was the first time I had ever seen it. There were other places I could have seen it versus on HBO Max in front of everybody." 

Kauffman and eight other young adults watched their parents at their most awkward and flirtatious by participating in the HBO Max series "My Mom, Your Dad." The show, which premiered last month, focuses on a group of single parents who join a Second Chance Retreat, while their children are down the street pulling the strings and serving as dating consultants behind the scenes — without their parents knowing. 

Several other young adults who were on the show also joined the college roundtable over Zoom to discuss their experiences on the reality program. They all discussed a crucial part of the show, which was "meddle time." 

During each of their parent's dates, the kids would watch the experience in real-time on monitors and change certain aspects of the date. Whether it was setting off sprinklers, sending in a ballerina to serenade without any music or having an out-of-tune harpist play, the intention of each meddling opportunity was to help their parents find connections. 

Although the end result may have ended in embarrassing encounters for the parents and hysterical laughter for the kids, Destiny Orr, whose mom Kiki joined the retreat, told The Panther that each kid took this task seriously. 

"I think overall, I want to say that when we meddled, we tried our best to make sure that we were moving their relationship or connection with that person forward," Orr said. "We were like, 'Okay, this sounds romantic,' versus (trying) to ruin a date." 

With all of the young adults working together to help their parents find their new love interest, the bond between the group grew from the first day they arrived. Whitney Strunk said the fact that she developed friendships with her fellow matchmakers parallel to her mom Trish making connections made the experience worthwhile for the both of them.

"(It was) ​​literally the best thing that's ever happened in both of our lives, and I got to meet all of you guys, and you guys are literally the sweetest people I've ever met in my life," Strunk said to her fellow cast members during the roundtable event. "I would not take any of it back, because everything happens for a reason. I feel like we were all meant to be in that house exactly at the time we were.”

When asked to describe their experience on the show with three words or less, Brooks Brown told The Panther that despite leaving with a plethora of material to discuss with his therapist about his father Joel, the experience can be summarized by a viral TikTok saying: "Lit. Crazy. Movie." 

Philip Patrick Jr. — also known as PJ on the show — said the experience was especially meaningful, because the young adults could share a common ground watching their single parents blossom with well-formed connections.

"(We had) a lot of the same experiences, like dealing with parents that were split and going back and forth from house to house," Patrick said. "There's a lot of stuff we've all been through that was really similar. I think that's part of the reason why we all got so close so fast; despite being from everywhere in the country, we all had some stuff that we could relate to." 

Even though most would assume that being on a reality show leads to instant popularity and an influencer-status reputation, Strunk said her life has not been altered — except for the ability to have the ultimate ice-breaker and the new urge to always check for a camera.

"I think at first for me, I (was paranoid), and I'd look in each corner for a camera," Strunk said. "I'm like, 'Am I being recorded?' and then I'm like, 'Whitney, no, you’re home. You're not being recorded (any) more.' But, I feel like there's (been) no big drastic change."

Although parental figures are typically known for their guardianship, their sternness and their ability to know their kid like the back of their hand, Patrick said that "My Mom, Your Dad" encouraged kids to realize their parents have gone through the same experiences as their children — including awkwardly flirting.  

"I wouldn't say I didn't like my dad, but we weren't close,” Patrick said. “I would see him, and we would talk about sports and maybe a couple of things, but we would never talk much about dating. I see him more as an equal (now), like seeing him like a friend or like a person and not just a parent.”