North Dakota Mom Takes Kids Grocery Shopping Without Shoes Or Coats In Freezing Temperatures
Sophia Dalton Wintertime can be especially challenging when you have young children. It feels like it takes an eternity to get them bundled up in layer after layer and battle with them to keep their coat and shoes on.
Still, parents have to ensure that their children are dressed appropriately for cold weather conditions.
One North Dakota mom was slammed and even investigated by police after her children were recorded outside in freezing weather.
RELATED: Mom Defends Her Decision Not To Put A Coat On Her Daughter — Despite Having One Herself
The children were not wearing shoes or coats as North Dakota's temperatures dropped to -9 degrees.
The young children were filmed in a grocery store parking lot being loaded into a shopping cart by their mother, who is dressed in a coat and boots.
As snow falls to the ground in the Williston, North Dakota town, one of the children is seen sitting in the shopping cart with no shoes on her feet or even so much as a coat.
She is seen vigorously rubbing her hands together to keep warm. As the toddler shivers in the cart, her mother violently drags her older brother out of the car and forcefully places him in the back of the shopping cart.
Like his sister, he is not wearing shoes or a coat and immediately begins shivering the moment he is outside.
The video was recorded by Holly Uranker, who posted the incident to Facebook.
“Is this any way to have children dressed in -9 weather! I wish I could have posted the video of her yanking the little boy out of the car after watching her hit him! This was at Cashwise this morning!” Uranker shared.
Other people were horrified by the video of the children in the snow.
“The largest issue is that she is willing to do this in public, what goes on at home?” one Facebook user commented. “Poor little things. Unbelievable stupidity and neglect.”
“The mom is so cold she has her hands in her sweatshirt, defending this is sickening,” another user pointed out. “I can see forgetting to zip a kid's coat up or having their boots untied that a mistake, but this is negligence and cruelty.”
“And knowing they are being put into a cart that is outside...I wonder how long that cart was sitting there in the cold. She needs to sit outside on metal for hours on end facing the wind!” another user shared.
“Poor kids, I hope they get justice and charge her and put the kids in a better loving home!”
According to the National Weather Service, -9 degree temperatures can result in severe frostbite in less than 30 minutes of exposure, even if there is little wind or snow.
The Williston Police Department told KFYR TV that they were aware of the video and identified the mother and children involved.
“We want to ensure the community that we are actively working on 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,” they wrote in a Facebook post.
They added that Child Services were notified of the video and were looking into the incident.
Still, after the video surfaced and the police got involved, some people defended the mother’s actions.
“Has anyone considered that maybe they [the kids] are disobedient and she just gave up trying to get them to wear their stuff because they were throwing tantrums?” one Facebook user speculated.
“Shame on everyone bashing this momma based upon 12 seconds of parenting,” another user wrote.
“We are told that our kids shouldn't have their winter coats on in their car seats anymore because the straps don't fit comfortably or safely.”
The brief video does not include enough context to know this mother's situation, why she didn't have coats and shoes for the kids or how long her kids were even outdoors.
Related Stories From YourTango:Elsewhere on TikTok, other moms have been calling out the strenuous experience that is putting coats on kids.
Many parents can likely relate to the urge to just rush their kids indoors so they don't have to battle with them to get their coats on.
Of course, that should not undermine the need to keep our little ones warm but a little empathy for this mom could go a long way.
RELATED: Man Confronts A Father Who Left His Child Alone In Stroller While He Went To Get Food
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.
