An Indiana mom says she took her daughter to a children’s museum, where the youngster was excited to go on a ride. According to the mother, an employee refused to let her daughter board because of the shoes she was wearing. Moments later, however, she says she watched another child wearing what appeared to be the same shoes get on the ride, prompting her to question why her daughter had been treated differently.
Mauri (@lovelii_mauri) took her daughter to The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis in Indiana for the day. While there, her daughter wanted to get on a car ride outside for children. However, her daughter wasn’t permitted to board the ride because she had open-toed shoes. As they walked to the exit, Mauri watched a little boy board the ride with open-toed shoes. She decided to say something, as she didn’t understand why her daughter was being treated differently.
Mauri starts recording the video right after she noticed the boy getting on the car ride wearing sandals. She points at the boy and asks the employee, “His shoes are open-toed, why can he go but she can’t?” The employee on duty tells Mauri that the employee who was there before him didn’t know the rules. Mauri explains, “No, no, no. If he can go, then she can go. That doesn’t make sense.”
Instead of allowing Mauri’s child to board the ride, the worker tells her, “Well, he’s been waiting in line forever.” Mauri proclaims, “I don’t care how long he’s been waiting! If the policy is no open-toed shoes, he shouldn’t be able to go. It’s giving racism.” The employee could simply let Mauri’s daughter pass into the ride. But instead, he cops an attitude with her and says, “Okay. Why don’t I kick him off, then?” You can hear the worker in the background apologizing and telling the boy he can’t ride the ride.
The employee then gives her a half-hearted apology to her. But she isn’t going to let him stand there and try to pick and choose whose child gets to ride and who doesn’t. She says it seems like “blatant racism.” He asks if he should radio his manager to the scene and she tells him he does. That’s where Mauri’s video ends.
Commenters immediately flooded Mauri’s video to share their opinions on how the situation was handled. As one mentioned, “It is that deep. Good for you mom. And your child is watching you stand up for what’s right! And now she knows never to let stuff slide!” Another commenter pointed out, “He wasn’t even going to do nothing until you said something.”
Many commenters shared that Mauri handled the moment gracefully as a parent. As one stated, “If you didn’t say anything, your daughter would have kept that in the back of her mind forever. Good on you for speaking up.” Others urged her to “call corporate” and demand results after the confrontation. Commenters continue to share their reactions and opinions on how this situation was handled by the employee.
