MaryAnn Fausey Resendez is a Texas-based mother of four – her youngest is 5 years old.
BuzzFeed spoke to MaryAnn, who said that last week she had to physically go to the store as a last resort after her curbside pickup order got messed up. In addition, she had to take her 5-year-old daughter because there was no one home to watch her.
But because MaryAnn has recently been seeing parents get judged for bringing their children into the grocery store during this coronavirus pandemic, she was worried that people might shame her for bringing her daughter. So she decided to do something about it. "I told my daughter I was putting a sign on her because I wasn't going to have people who don't know us or our situation provoke me. We are already under so much stress, and I am so overwhelmed. I explained to her that we had to go in and get groceries really quick — and that she could not touch anything," MaryAnn explained.
MaryAnn also decided to document the precautions she took to keep her and her daughter safe so she could share it with others. "I hoped doing this might help other parents feel better. I told my daughter I was going to take pictures of each step and we were going to put it on Facebook so other people could be safe also. She didn't mind at all because she loves taking pictures and she wanted to help," she said.
MaryAnn then decided to share the photo of the sign she put on her daughter, and it quickly generated over 43,000 shares. "I was amazed at all the positive and supportive comments. And the negative ones just prove the point I was trying to make: that some people will still judge you without knowing the situation. I strongly believe that at a time like this, we need to not rush to judgment. Instead, we need to use compassion and understanding because we never truly know what a person is going through," she said.
MaryAnn said that since her post went viral, she has had many parents reach out to her with stories about being shamed publicly in the grocery store when they had no choice but to bring their kid — and many of those times, parents were brought to tears.
People also praised MaryAnn's post because she was an example of the correct way to shop with your kid if you absolutely must.
People were just glad a mom was shedding light on certain individuals' situations right now.
So, if you can, stay home and leave your kids at home! However, if you absolutely cannot, then do everything in your power to keep yourself, your child, and others safe — just as MaryAnn did. And keep practicing social distancing! K, thanks, bye!!!
