There are some luxuries those of us without children take for granted and a moment’s peace is one of them.
An American mother of quadruplets has demonstrated just how difficult it can be to snag even a second alone with a video she uploaded to YouTube.
Ashley Gardner filmed herself furiously munching red liquorice as she hid in her kitchen pantry and “summed up motherhood” in 34 seconds.
“Dad’s out shoveling the driveway and mum desperately needed a treat to get through the rest of the night,” she said.
“So I’m hiding in the pantry eating a treat. Is that wrong?”
The mother-of-four then drops the camera to the floor to capture the very real child-filled mayhem going on in the adjoining room.
“They don’t ever go away. They want everything you have,” she said.
Gardner’s daughter? Oh, she’s just peeking under the door frame.
"Hi," her daughter says.
"See! She's always there," Gardner replies.
Gardner and husband Tyson run a variety of social media accounts on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube that documents their life as parents to quadruplets.
The adorable children shared by the pair come after eight years of infertility and an eventual win with IVF.
We can only hope the children will soon reach a stage where treats can be shared and not scoffed in confined spaces.