Photo: TikTok
People are minimizing her behavior.
By NyRee Ausler — Written on Feb 18, 2023
Kids are a lot of work. You have to keep a close eye on them to make sure they don’t get hurt or worse. For people without children dealing with an unsupervised, unruly child is super annoying.
A TikToker named Jaden Amerea recently shared her bothersome experience with a small girl who had been left alone in a hospital waiting room by her mother.
The little girl hit her while her mother was occupied in a public waiting room.
In the video, the child wandered over to Amerea as she was recording. She looked around to make sure the coast was clear before smacking the TikToker hard on her thigh.
Amerea said, “Girl…” to warn the child that her actions were inappropriate but she was undeterred. She continued looking around while standing nearby, appearing to wait for her opportunity to strike again.
A stunned Amerea instructed the child to go over to her mother again and again as the girl lifted her hand to strike again.
Eventually, the woman caught the mother’s attention and asked her to come and get her daughter. When the mother walked over, it became clear that she was hearing impaired, but she seemed to reprimand the child using sign language.
Viewers empathized with both Amerea and the mother, guessing that it must be tough and stressful to be non-verbal or deaf and caring for a defiant child.
According to VeryWellHealth, disciplining an unruly, hearing child is a major challenge for deaf parents. In their non-hearing household, child of deaf parents may become accustomed to acting in such a way that would not be acceptable out in the world.
Children of Deaf Adults or CODA is an international organization with many helpful resources for learning about how to help both children of deaf parents and the deaf parents themselves.
Amerea posted a second video showing the child bothering another family.
In the second video shared, the child is seen getting up close and personal with what appears to be a father and son. This was in response to people questioning if the original slap was racially-motivated.
Clearly not interested in any debate, discussion, or back-and-forth over her assessment, Amerea turned off commenting on that video.
She provided an update where she answered some viewer questions.
The first thing the TikToker explained was that commenters on the first video were laughing at the child’s actions and not her deaf mother. Apparently, some people had accused others of making fun of the mom.
She does acknowledge that she can’t vouch for every commenter on her video, but that anyone choosing to denigrate a disabled mother is hopeless.
Amerea also cleared up any questions as to why she was filming in the first place, explaining that what viewers witnessed was the fifth time the little girl had approached her and chose to be violent.
She also alleged that the child had been left unattended no less than ten times and had even ventured outside on her own twice.
Amerea also commented on the assertion that the child didn’t know any better. From watching the video, it is clear that she was aware and calculated in her actions.
There were also some people who suggested that the TikToker was overreacting and had not been hit ‘that hard.’ That prompted her to post a video of the bruise on her thigh.
NyRee Ausler is a writer from Seattle, Washington, and author of seven books. She covers lifestyle and entertainment and news, as well as navigating the workplace and social issues.