Mum speaks out as man fired from job after calling police on dad taking daughters to women's toilet
The mother of the two children in the viral US TikTok has spoken out against the father after he shared the video online.
Nearly everyone on social media will have spotted Tyler Brodsky's video by this point, as it shows him in the woman's bathroom with his two young daughters, being lambasted by a man on the phone who calls the police.
The strange incident that unfolded at a service station in Alabama has sparked an interesting debate online in regards to what parents are supposed to do in this situation - and who was in the right.
The customer can be heard saying: "There is a man with his two little girls using the women's bathroom. He is washing his hands with his daughters right now.
Advert
"[My wife] is waiting to use the restroom with her mother who is very ill, who is on life support. He is refusing [to leave] and taking his sweet time."
Brodsky recorded the situation and later shared it online, which has seen him garner a huge amount of support, while police also helped to calm the situation.
"One of the officers was talking to me and the man and explained that the situation wasn't as black and white as many people may think," he said. "They pointed out that taking two little girls into the men's room could be viewed just as negatively as me being in the women's restroom with my girls.
"They tried to make sense of it, understand both perspectives but ultimately there was really nothing they could do. They let me know I was okay, that I didn't do anything wrong, they were very reassuring.
"As a dad with two little girls, I made the decision that I felt was best in the moment," he added. "I also want to be clear about something - I don't support anyone harassing, threatening or contacting anyone involved.
"I'm simply sharing what happened to my family and I hope the man that did this will come across this video and realise what he did was wrong and not do it to anyone else."
While he's been largely praised online, with a GoFundMe even set up to support him after the incident, it seems as if the mother of the two girls is less impressed with seeing her two kids go viral.
Zoe Lavely broke her silence on Facebook, writing: “I actually don’t love this outcome; as the mother of those two girls.
“Even though their dad handled the situation well, what everyone doesn’t see is the fear a mother has seeing their kids exposed all over the media.
“Over 20 million people have seen my girls.
“Not just being kids exposed all over. I see their dad approaching the man that scared my girls just for the video.”
She also claimed that while Brodsky would be profiting financially from the video, he 'hasn't paid one penny' to support them in recent times.
“So many people have used this video.
“Every time I open my phone I see my 3 year old daughter in tears. It destroys me every single time," she concluded.
Brodsky has since told The Post that he wouldn't get into a public back-and-forth with the mother of his children, with the GoFundMe now sitting at more than $2,500.
Meanwhile, the man involved in the video who called the police has also faced consequences for his bizarre actions, as the company where he worked confirmed earlier this week that he is 'no longer associated' with them.
In a short statement shared on Wednesday (17 June), the company said: "Overstreet Properties is aware of videos circulating on social media depicting conduct by a former independent contractor during a personal trip that was unrelated to our company.
"The conduct depicted in the video does not reflect the values of Overstreet Properties or the standards we expect of those who represent our organisation.
"Our focus remains on providing quality service to our clients, partners, and community. The individual depicted in the video is no longer associated with Overstreet Properties."
Topics: Parenting, Social Media
James Moorhouse