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In Rihanna parody, Holderness family sings about the daily homework struggle

For their latest parody of Rihanna's "Work," the Holderness family asked fans for help choosing the topic, song and content.
/ Source: TODAY Contributor

Fans of the Holderness family have followed the Raleigh, North Carolina foursome through parodies about everything from helicopter parenting to turning 40.

But in their latest creation, Penn and Kim Holderness asked fans on social media for help by submitting song and topic ideas that would be turned into an "instant parody" by the family.

The result is a parody of Rihanna's hit song, "Work," that shows the real struggle of getting kids to do homework.

"We're doing home work work work work work. She's got a lot of work work work work work," Penn sings as daughter Lola rolls her eyes while Kim tries to help her complete the assignment.

Rihanna "Work" Parody | Instant Parody | The Holderness Family
Rihanna "Work" Parody | Instant Parody | The Holderness FamilyYouTube

"In our house, homework often ends in tears. And they are mine," Kim told TODAY Parents. "Third grade math might as well be Latin. I have to routinely Google answers."

Kim says her family was eager to get fans involved in the parody-making process, adding that while a normal parody takes them around sixteen hours to produce, the Rihanna parody was written by Penn in about ten minutes, and completed in six hours.

"What took the longest was getting our kids to pretend like they were doing their homework," said Kim. "That eye rolling you saw was not staged."

YouTube

The parody shows various parental tactics to get kids to do homework, from bribing them with candy to demanding that they pay attention and get it finished.

"We just need to find a fraction. Don't give into distraction," Penn sings. "Sorry I'm being tough on you. When I see potential, I've just gotta see it through."

Kim admits even with several years of supervising homework time under her belt, she still doesn't quite understand what needs to be done.

"Am I supposed to let them turn in their work with mistakes so their teachers know where they need work? Or hover until they correct them? I'm asking because I honestly don't know."