Southern California mom Dr. Leslie Dobson is defending her decision not to return her shopping cart at stores. She initially went viral after making a TikTok about the subject, which caused a lot of controversy. The debate about returning your shopping cart isn't a new one, but Dobson is hoping to use it to bring attention to a different topic of concern for parents.
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"I’m not returning my shopping cart, and you can judge me all you want," Dobson, who is a clinical and forensic psychologist, said in her TikTok, which she shared in May. "I’m not getting my groceries into my car and getting my children into the car and then leaving them in the car."
She added "So, if you’re going to give me a dirty look, f— off."
Naturally, many people in the comments had something to say about Dobson's strong words.
"Happy that you are not my mom. Eww!" one comment read.
"I have 3 kids and I either park right next to a return or bring them with me to return the cart It’s just the decent thing to do," someone else added.
"As a mother of 3 that are only 18 months apart and a person that always returns my cart. It goes groceries in car, cart returned, then kids in the car. It isn't hard," another commenter added.
The next day, Dobson shared a follow-up video further explaining her controversial stance, claiming that for her, not returning the cart is a matter of personal safety. She added that 265 children were abducted in American parking lots, and half of those victims were sexually assaulted.
"As a single mom returning your shopping cart, you are prime for a predator to watch and grab you," she said.
Dobson appeared on local news affiliate KTLA 5 Weekend Morning News to talk about the backlash her video received. "I am shocked, but I am also very happy, because I’ve received hundreds – maybe to the point of even thousands – of messages from moms saying, ‘I pulled into the spot, I’m looking at my surroundings and I’m more aware now’," she explained.
"I know the video was provocative, but that’s what I wanted… I wanted to grab attention. It’s the bigger picture of ‘We need to empower ourselves to trust our intuitions,'" she continued. "If we have awareness, then that predator isn’t going to be able to do what he intended."
