There is one commodity that's even hotter right now than hand sanitizer in light of the coronavirus outbreak — and that's toilet paper. Yep, TP has become a highly coveted item these days. So much so, that public brawls have broken out in supermarkets around the world over the last few rolls. To some people, this might seem like an overreaction, but not to Jeni Bonell, who recently penned a Facebook post explaining why exactly she needs to stock up on toilet paper during a crises — and why no one should judge ever judge her for buying in bulk.
If Bonell's name sounds familiar, that might be because the mom has made headlines before -- for being a mom of 16.
(That's right, 16 KIDS.)
In her March 6 Facebook post, she got straight to the point — and had one main message for a woman who gave her side-eye while she was stocking up at the store.
"OH NO YOU DON'T!!!!!" wrote Bonell. "No lady, you don't get to stand behind me in the checkout line in the grocery store. With your voice dripping sarcasm and your crinkled brow."
The woman in question didn't keep quiet with her disgust, either.
Instead, she shot back in a tone that was clearly intended for EVERYONE to hear.
"Welllll, there goes ALLLLLLL the toilet paper now …" the woman said. "Hmmmmpffff."
In response, Bonell had one message for the nosy stranger: Calm down.
"Ummm, no it doesn't," the mom wrote in her post. "And I will not apologize for buying toilet paper for my family which is undoubtedly bigger than yours."
(We're definitely willing to bet it is.)
The mom added that she wasn't going to let the stranger make her feel bad about taking care of her family.
"I will not let you make me feel guilty about it one little bit," she continued. "Perhaps taking a deep breath would help."
"Or try smiling," she added.
According to Bonell, it's not just the coronavirus that appears to have become pandemic lately -- it's a lack basic kindness.
"That's a worldwide lack of good manners with a symptom of unkindness that seems to accompany it," Bonell wrote.
Speaking with CafeMom, the mom of 16 tells us that she wrote her post as a call to action.
Bonell says that she believes "we all have the right to go into a grocery store and buy what we need without people giving you filthy looks and making snide comments."
Still, she does understand that many people are just nervous, and perhaps lashing out based on internal fears.
"Folks need to stay calm, be reasonably prepared, but also think of others and what they might need," she continues.
Bonell adds that she isn't the only one who's experienced public shaming for merely taking care of her family.
She says that she was "surprised" to learn that others have also had similar experiences lately.
Still, she didn't expect her post to also garner criticism from strangers over the fact that she even has a large family to begin with.
"There’s been lots of support of the post, but a lot of criticism towards our family too just over how many children we have," she says. "But children are blessings and we are very abundantly blessed."
Of course, it's understandable that tensions are high while we're still learning more and more about the coronavirus. But in this case, Bonell is right — things won't be any easier if we don't treat each other with kindness. Not just today, but every day.
