Father criticized for praising his wife for working out while their newborn took a nap instead of cleaning

A husband’s heartfelt post praising his wife for working out while their newborn napped — instead of doing household chores — has sparked outrage from critics who criticized him for not helping.

Phil Mackenzie, 35, from Ontario, Canada, is the founder of the Leansquad fitness app. He has more than 773,000 followers TikTokwhere he documents his workouts, meals and life at home.

The former professional rugby player shares four sons under the age of five with his wife Brodie, who gave birth to their youngest child in October. He went viral last week when he posted a video of his wife working out at home.

The couple, who have four sons under the age of five, welcomed their youngest child in October

“Today I walked in on my wife working out while our newborn was napping. Our house was a disaster,” he wrote in the on-screen text. “The dishes needed to be cleaned. The laundry had to be done. And a million other things she felt she had to do.”

Still, I couldn’t be prouder. She instead decided to take some time for herself that she deserved 10 times over,” he continued. “Always remember that YOU DESERVE time for yourself. The mess and chores can always wait, but your sanity should never be sacrificed.”

The 19-second video has been viewed 4.1 million times and has received more than 10,000 comments since it was posted on Jan. 16, but the response wasn’t what he expected.

Many found the tribute condescending and questioned why he was filming his wife when he should have been helping her clean the house. Others were concerned that she felt pressured to return to her post-baby body.

“All I heard was, ‘She’s getting in shape for me and that’s more important than HER chores!'” one person wrote, while another added, “Dude? Try to join in.’

Phil shared in the post that he ‘couldn’t be more proud’ of Brodie for taking time for herself which ‘she deserved 10 times over’

The 19 second video has been viewed 4.1 million times and many critics accused the father of four of not helping around the house in the comments

“This video alone is my nightmare,” shared another. “Someone’s watching it pile up on top of me and just pop…congratulations for keeping it together.” HELP HER.”

However, there were some people who felt that Phil sincerely praised his wife and defended him.

“Why is everyone in this comment section coming to get him because he’s trying to have a sweet, genuine moment?” a woman asked. ‘Thank you for this. This probably made her day to see.”

Phil and Brodie share sons Hudson, 5, twins Preston and Boden, 2, and Ashton, 3 months, and their videos aim to show the “real side of parenting.”

Speaking to Today , Brodie shared that she watched the video and approved the caption before her husband posted it, saying he “didn’t deserve the backlash”

As for household chores, Phil added that they both “shared the burden” while looking after their young sons

Speak with Todayshared Brodie that she watched the video and approved the caption before her husband posted it, saying he “didn’t deserve the backlash.”

She explained that she tends to get anxious when their house is messy and daily chores often prevent her from exercising.

“Phil showed how proud he was that I left the mess until we could clean together,” she said of the controversial video.

Phil insisted that he would never shame his wife into losing weight, saying, “Exercise is for our mental health.” As for the household chores, he added that they both “share the burden.”