Mom's hilarious back-to-school pic is going viral

A mother of three has tapped into the sense of relief that so many parents apparently feel as the summer comes to a close. An amusing back-to-school revenge photo she posted on Facebook has gone viral.

Jena Willingham’s posed back-to-school shot is blowing up online. (Photo: Jena Willingham/Facebook)
Jena Willingham’s posed back-to-school shot is blowing up online. (Photo: Jena Willingham/Facebook)

“Happy First Day of School everyone,” wrote Jena Willingham, of Beulah, Ala., along with the image — of herself, lounging in a pool in a yellow blow-up float, drink in hand, and huge smile on her face. Standing at the edge of the pool and looking down at her with glum faces are her backpack-toting kids — Wrangler, 11, Emmy, 7, and Sykes, 4.

“I told them to look sad!” Willingham, a mail carrier for the U.S. postal service, tells Yahoo Beauty about the posed image, which has been shared more than 11,500 times since Monday and has more than 4,000 tickled reactions.

Jena Willingham, center, with her husband, Edd, and their three kids. (Photo: Courtesy of Jena Willingham)
Jena Willingham, center, with her husband, Edd, and their three kids. (Photo: Courtesy of Jena Willingham)

“My photo was inspired by me telling my kids on the first day of school I was having a pool day, because they had been driving me crazy arguing all summer,” she explains. “They fight over anything from the TV to who sits where in the car to who uses the charger first since, they always seem to lose theirs.”

Willingham decided to illustrate the glee she felt at the thought of a solo pool day through a fun, tongue-in-cheek portrait. She decided to stage it at the backyard pool of her cousin, who lives next door, and says her kids were totally onboard. “My kids are always used to me doing something crazy, so they were up to doing the photo,” she says.

Wrangler, Sykes, and Emmy. (Photo: Courtesy of Jena Willingham)
Wrangler, Sykes, and Emmy (Photo: Courtesy of Jena Willingham)

Her husband, Edd, a logger with his family logging business, snapped the photo on his phone (“He is used to my antics,” Jena says), and the rest is history.

Fans of the photo have called it “priceless,” “hilarious,” and “awesome,” with at least one commenter suggesting she turn the photo into a greeting card.

The huge reaction has left Jena thrilled, though it was unexpected. “People always tell me that I am going to go viral, but it’s never happened,” she admits, “so I am so surprised.”

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