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Prime minister's 3-year-old daughter adorably interrupts during live video

"Well, that was a bedtime fail, wasn't it?" Jacinda Ardern told her national audience.
/ Source: NBC News

Working from home can be tricky for parents, even when you're the prime minister of New Zealand.

On Monday night, Jacinda Ardern was giving the nation a live update on changing COVID-19 restrictions when she was interrupted by off-screen calls for “mummy.”

"You're meant to be in bed, darling," Ardern told daughter, Neve, 3.

"Pop back to bed, I'll come and see you in a second."

“Sorry, everybody,” Ardern said as she turned back to her national audience. She laughed off the interruption, following up with, "Well, that was a bedtime fail, wasn't it?"

Ardern, who has been praised for her clear and frequent communication with the public throughout the coronavirus pandemic, joked that she thought she had found a safe time to broadcast.

“Does anyone else have kids escape like three, four times after bedtime?” she asked, noting that fortunately, her mother was there to help.

Toward the end of the eight-minute livestream, Neve could be heard again, wondering what the hold-up was.

“I'm sorry darling it is taking so long,” Ardern said before cutting the livestream short to give bedtime another try.

Children’s unplanned appearances have become a regular feature of remote work during the pandemic. But perhaps the most famous instance was in 2017, when the BBC’s live interview with political scientist Robert Kelly was interrupted by first one, then both of his children in a moment of instant memedom.

This story first appeared on NBCNews.com.