Mom Applying for Baby’s Passport ‘Confused’ by One Mandatory Question

A mom was left scratching her head at one of the mandatory questions she was tasked with answering as part of her 9-month-old daughter’s passport application.

Americans have an interesting relationship with the U.S. passport system. According to a 2021 YouGov poll of 1,500 U.S. adults, just 37 percent have a valid, unexpired passport, while 38 percent have never had a passport at all.

Nicole Webz was determined to ensure her daughter didn’t end up falling into the latter category, but it proved a little more complicated than she expected.

“We are going on a family trip to Mexico, so my daughter would need a passport in order to travel,” Webz told Newsweek.

Filling out a passport application should be straightforward enough, but one question had Webz confused. In a video posted to her TikTok last month, Webz highlighted how, as part of the online form, she was asked to list her daughter’s occupation.

That would be her 9-month-old baby daughter, who wears diapers and is still getting to grips with things like walking, never mind holding down a 9 to 5. “I was very confused why that section shows up on the passport,” Webz said.

This particular question had Webz flummoxed for more reasons than just concerns over her baby’s career though.

“Obviously, for children it’s not applicable. But even for adults, I’m not really sure why your occupation needs to be listed on the application,” she said. “What does the passport office do with that information? Does it preclude certain people from getting a passport?”

Webz often shares clips to TikTok that she feels reflect her experiences as a first-time mom and always tries to “find humor in the situation.”

“Becoming parents is a daunting journey, so I like to share experiences that other new parents can relate to or learn from,” she said.

In this instance, she was pleased to report that, unusual question aside, the application process went pretty smoothly. In fact, Webz was impressed at how quickly it got sent out to her.

“It even arrived in the mail way earlier than I expected,” she said. “But then came the next confusing step; signing her passport. If anyone knows how to get a baby to learn how to sign their name, let me know!”

TikTok Users React

Since the video was posted to TikTok, it has gone viral and currently has over 860,000 views and over 44,000 likes. In the video’s comments section, users on the social media platform were quick to offer up suggestions for what Webz could have written.

“Unemployed,” one user suggested.

Another user jokingly wrote: “freeloader.”

A third posted: “You should have put milk collector.”

And a fourth quipped that she should have written that her daughter “refuses to get a job.”

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