Cold snap coming? Better look out for the mommy shamers! For most of the country, this time of year means that we have a pile of coats and boots by the front door, and spend about 20 minutes bundling up our kids in 17 different layers every time we leave the house.
Getting ready to go out for even the quickest of errands in the winter can be exhausting. One North Dakota mom took some heat after she apparently decided to skip the hats and jackets, and take her kids to the grocery store in thin shirts when it was below zero outside.
A video uploaded to a Facebook group in Williston, North Dakota, shows a woman loading kids into a shopping cart with no winter gear.
A toddler sits in the front seat of the cart, while the woman appears to be forcefully yanking an older child out of the car. Neither of the kids has a coat, hat, or even so much as a sweater on. The little girl can clearly be seen rubbing her hands together trying to get warm, and the little boy starts shivering as soon as he lands in the cart.
Holly Uranker, who originally shared the video, wrote that she witnessed the scene at a Cash Wise grocery store when the local temperature was -9 degrees.
While most kids would rather eat broccoli than wear the proper winter gear when it's cold outside, subzero temperatures really do pose a serious risk. According to the National Weather Service, -9 degree weather can cause severe frost bite in as little as 30 minutes of exposure, even with very little wind or snow.
Shortly after the video was posted, it was picked up by local news outlets and ignited a social media firestorm.
Unsurprisingly, many who saw the video were outraged and accused the mom of neglect.
"… If she is willing to do this in public, what goes on at home?" one person mused.
Others pointed to the way she hoisted her son out of the car as proof of 'abuse.'
"She needs to lose her parenting rights," the commenter wrote. "I feel so sorry for those children."
Some even called out the person who recorded the video.
One person wondered: "Why weren't the cops called? Why sit and watch it?"
Though a few people jumped in to defend the mom, Williston Police told KFYR TV they received 'several' complaints about the video.
Police have declined to reveal the identities of the woman or her children, but they are investigating the incident and child services is reportedly involved.
A statement was posted to the official Williston Police Department Facebook page.
"On January 11th , 2018, the Williston Police Department responded to a call for service, in which the reporting party indicated a female was at a local grocery store with two small children. The children did not have appropriate winter gear on for the weather conditions. Numerous concerned citizens have reported the incident. We want to ensure the community that we are actively working an investigation and addressing the concerns. The safety of the children and all community members is our main focus, so we want to thank everyone who reported."
Obviously, no one wants to shame a mom who is going through a hard time or having a rough moment with her kids. But it's hard to argue in favor of anyone allowing their shivering babies to go out in subzero temperatures without so much as a hoodie on, regardless of the circumstances. Hopefully the authorities are able to get to make heads or tails of the situation so these kids don't end up out in the cold without the proper gear again.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child), or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
