‘I Chose to Do This. We’re a Team’
For stay-at-home mom Brie Nichols, packing her husband a lunchbox every day is just a natural thing she does, and she loves every bit of it.
However, after posting a clip of her filling a heated lunchbox on her Instagram page, Nichols could not believe the negativity she received. The video, which went viral, sparked a heated debate about marriage, motherhood, and the role of women, much to the bemusement of the young mom.
“I got a lot of nasty comments … people saying ‘He’s a baby. That’s embarrassing for you. Why would you do that? Can he not pack his own lunch?’ They were coming from men and from women,” Nichols, 29, told The Epoch Times.
A former marketing professional, Nichols lives in Michigan, Indiana, where her husband works at a steel mill operating heavy machinery. The couple have two children, Miller, aged 3, and Leila, aged 1. Since their son has special needs, Nichols decided to stay home full time and care for their family—a “job” she relishes.
“It’s the hardest but most rewarding job in the world. I’m living my best life doing this,” she said, adding that her decision to be there for her kids and her domestic streak is something she ought not have to explain, or justify.
The Little Lunchbox
Nichols’s husband works a swing shift, which means his pattern constantly changes. One week he’ll do mornings, the next, afternoons, and the following, he’ll start at midnight. By preparing nutritious, home-cooked food and setting his cordless, automatic lunchbox to heat at the right time, Nichols makes sure he gets a nutritious “nice hot lunch” during work hours.
“I have to try and sneak vegetables in there for him,” she said. “He doesn’t eat a lot of vegetables—he really likes comfort food like a lot of us do. Sometimes I’ll blend extra spinach or veggies into a sauce to try and trick him, like I do with my kids!”
Her husband absolutely loves the hot meals she puts into the little insulated lunchbox. “It’s an absolute game changer for him, and he thanks me every day. His co-workers love it too.”
‘We Are a Team’
For Nichols, who loves nurturing her husband and kids, marriage is a team. The couple met when she moved to Michigan at 19, from her hometown of Chicago. Initially, she dated a friend of his and it wasn’t until years down the line that the two got together, marrying in October 2021 during the pandemic.
“We couldn’t do our big wedding,” she said, “so we decided to elope and get married on top of a mountain in Colorado.”
Back when Nichols was continuing her job in marketing, it was harder for her to prep lunches. But once she had her little ones and became a stay-at-home mom, this had become her daily ritual.
As a couple, Nichols and her husband have a win-win arrangement, where the roles are balanced: she handles everything inside the home, and he takes care of the earning side.
She said: “We’re a team. He works, and he provides for us. I stay home. I take care of the house, and I help raise our children. Of course, he’s a father when he’s home, but his schedule is so demanding. I’m at home making his lunches and making sure he has clean laundry, everything. And in turn, he makes sure that we have a nice place to live in and a nice life. We help each other out—it’s a balance.”
A dutiful mom and wife, Nichols says she is striving to raise her son and daughter right.
“I’m trying to raise them to be kind humans—that’s all I care about,” she said. “I just want to raise good people. I think we have a lot of bad people in this world. I will do everything in my absolute power to make sure that my kids are good people.”
‘I Chose to Do This, I’m Thriving’
While a great many social media users scoff at their lifestyle choice, a lot of people stand up for Nichols and are supportive—especially other moms.
“Moms understand and sympathize with me,” she said. “I mean, if you’re a mom, whether you’re a working mom or a stay-at-home mom, you know how hard it is to be a parent. … I don’t see myself as lazy or not working. When I’m home with my kids, I’m at work 24/7. If someone wakes up, I have to clock in.”
Nichols herself is heartfelt about supporting women, and whatever they want to do with their own lives.
“If you want to stay at home, stay at home; if you want to work and have a career, do it. My mom did it. It just depends on what works for your family. I think we’d be a team regardless of whether I was working full time, or if I was at home. We’re an equal partnership no matter what,” she said.
“I chose to do this, and I’m thriving. It doesn’t affect anybody—me staying at home is not stopping you from having a career.”
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