Mom Working From Home Gets a Spontaneous Metal Concert When Her 12 Year Old Son Walks In Shredding a Purple Bullseye Guitar and the Family Dog Climbs Up Beside Her

The Instagram creator @theannewatson is at her laptop with her fingers on the keyboard when her son appears in the doorway behind her with an electric guitar already in his hands. Two seconds into the clip, the words “Welcome to my life…” come up on screen, and she turns to the camera grinning in a black band T shirt while he plays a few feet away.

The 32 second reel, posted on September 11, 2026, carries the caption “Real life” with a rock hand emoji, followed by “No way I’d rather work from home than this!!” She thanks her son by tagging his guitar account, adds a separate thank you to “Sevyn, our pup!” and signs off with “Rock ON.”

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The guitar is hard to miss: a black instrument covered in a purple bullseye pattern. In the first few seconds he plays it standing in the doorway, then walks into the room and keeps going, head down and hair over his face, while she laughs and pushes her glasses up.

The text overlay at that point sets the tone for the whole reel. She writes that if there is anything better than her 12 year old “spontaneously melting your face off while you work,” she is “not aware of it!”

A few seconds later she corrects herself on screen: “Oh, actually… a live concert by your son, WITH your dog by your side…” On cue, a big white fluffy dog climbs onto the white couch beside her. She reaches over to pet it as her son keeps playing in the middle of the room, and the next line reads “NOW we’re talkin’.” The last frame shows her laughing into the camera with the words “ROCK ON.” while he plays on behind her.

Her hashtags fill in the rest of the picture: #motherandson, #metalfamily and #musicheals.

How loud an electric guitar gets

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders says on its noise induced hearing loss page that long or repeated exposure to sounds at or above 85 decibels can cause hearing loss, and that the louder the sound, the less time it takes. It puts concerts in the range of 94 to 110 decibels and lists playing in a band as one of the activities that puts people at risk. The agency also tells parents to protect children’s ears because kids may be too young to do it themselves.

If your kid’s practice room is next to your desk

For a parent working from home with a young musician in the house, a few concrete steps help keep moments like this one fun:

• Agree on call hours. Write your meeting times on a note by the amp or in the family calendar so a surprise concert lands between calls rather than during one.
• Use the NIDCD’s three checks. The agency’s rule is to avoid sound that is too loud, too close or lasts too long. Keep the amp turned down in small rooms, put some distance between the speaker and everyone’s ears, and set a time limit on long sessions.
• Buy earplugs for the player and the audience. The NIDCD notes that earplugs and earmuffs made for specific activities are sold at hardware and sporting goods stores. Keep a pair by the practice spot.
• Watch the pets. The dog in this reel climbs onto the couch beside the music. Not every animal will; leave a door open so a pet can leave the room if it wants to.
• Listen for warning signs. If your child mentions ringing or muffled hearing after playing, the NIDCD advises having hearing tested when you suspect a loss.