A Texas mom is being called “heartless” after letting her daughter excitedly pick out 11 items at Target for a viral back-to-school trend, only to reveal at the end that she wasn’t buying any of them. The teenager was then told to put everything back.
The viral trend involves parents letting their children choose the same number of items as the grade they’re entering. With her daughter preparing for 11th grade, the Texas mom told her she could pick 11 items at Target.
The video showed the mother taking her daughter to Target and telling her to pick out 11 items because she was about to start 11th grade. As the shopping trip continued, her daughter became visibly excited while choosing the items she wanted. Among her selections were a pair of leggings, a matching outfit set, and a phone case. At one point, her mother even asked, “You like that?” as her daughter continued shopping.
After her daughter picked out all 11 items, the mother told her to put everything back. “What? Why?” her daughter asked in disbelief. Her mother then explained that the start of the school year was approaching and that they needed to save their money for other necessities. “You really think I’ma participate in a stupid trend?” she told her.
The backlash didn’t end there. After viewers criticized the Target stunt, the mother posted another video taking her daughter to Dollar Tree, where she was allowed to choose 11 items instead.
That only fueled more criticism, with viewers arguing that taking her to a cheaper store didn’t erase the disappointment of believing she was getting the Target items.
Others even offered to send her daughter money so she could buy the items she originally wanted. The mother continued responding to the backlash by posting additional videos criticizing those who had condemned her actions.
Viewers Call Out Texas Mom Over Target Prank
The video sparked reactions online. Many viewers criticized the Texas mom for not buying the items her daughter had picked out. Several accused her of hurting her daughter’s feelings simply to create content for social media. “The way my mouth dropped this is abuse,” one person wrote. Another commenter said, “Some parents are obsessed with humbling their kids. It’s gross.”
More viewers criticized the mother’s controversial video and expressed sympathy for her daughter. “Mind you she didn’t even look that excited to begin with, slowly became excited and then had her day squashed… poor thing,” one person wrote. Another commenter offered to help the teenager. “Is there a way we can get that baby her 11 items (or more)? I’ll buy her some items!” they said.
The mother has shown no signs of backing down, continuing to respond to critics in follow-up videos while viewers offer to buy her daughter the Target items themselves. What began as her own spin on a harmless back-to-school trend has instead turned into a viral debate over whether embarrassing a child for content crosses a line.
