A mother who witnessed a young girl’s meltdown at a Walmart store that has gone viral has revealed the reason for the incident was due to the fact that the child was scared and unable to find her family.
Amber Gregory is the mother who was in the store during the incident. She quickly intervened after noticing bystanders filming the girl as she hurled items across the store with no parent or guardian around.
Gregory can be seen in the viral video approaching the child and telling onlookers, “Don’t record her. You don’t know what she’s going through! Don’t do that to a little girl.”
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Gregory later explained that the situation reminded her of her own neurodivergent child and criticized those who prioritized recording the chaos instead of trying to help the child.
???????? Meanwhile in Walmart, America
— Concerned Citizen (@BGatesIsaPyscho) December 2, 2024
“Don’t touch her, dont yell at her, don’t yell at her, don’t touch her – she could be the next president” pic.twitter.com/Tmo9QtNdah
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She stated that the girl struggled to communicate her distress and was labeled a “spoiled brat” by some bystanders which she deemed unfair.
According to reports, the tantrum lasted between 45 minutes and an hour, with the girl breaking food packages, stomping on snack cakes, and smashing bottles of sparkling juice all around as it caused shards of glass and liquid to spill across the floor.
Some bystanders and Walmart employees then attempted to intervene. Two women tried to physically restrain the little girl but gave up when she kicked at them.
In the viral video, a man was seen trying to prevent her from grabbing more bottles as the destruction continued.
Gregory revealed that what the video didn’t capture was the girl attempting to harm herself with broken glass from the smashed juice bottles.
She expressed how frustrated she was with the crowd, and said most people were focused on filming rather than helping the girl or finding her family.
The girl’s parents eventually arrived and quickly removed her from the store as police were called to the scene.
The incident began circulating online on Monday, and it has sparked mixed reactions.
Many commenters criticized the child’s behavior and blamed her parents for the destruction.
“The parent or grandparent should have to pay for every single item after Walmart presses charges for destruction of property”, one user wrote.
Others however speculated that the child’s behavior could stem from deeper issues she was facing.
“Children acting this way are often testing their caregivers to see if they care enough to exercise some authority, control, and structure.”
Gregory herself has received backlash since the video went viral as some accused her of being overly “woke,” with one person saying: “I don’t care what she’s going through, stop messing with other people’s stuff.” Another said, “I understand she may have issues, but someone has to stop her.”
Despite the criticism, the mother who saw how it all transpired at Walmart stood by her actions, stating that helping the girl is standing behind children in distress, and it remains one of the key principles many need to come to understand.
“This wasn’t about excusing bad behavior. It was about understanding a child in distress and doing what we can to help, not hurt”, she said.
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It remains unclear where and when the incident occurred as Walmart is yet to comment on the matter.
