I was brutally mum-shamed in Marks & Spencer for buying my children a ready meal – it was infuriating
- Mother-of-two Kirsty Ketley says she was criticised for buying a ready meal
- The shopper also highlighted the sugar content in a gingerbread biscuit
- Read more: Furious mum ‘shamed ‘by daycare for her three-year-old’s lunchbox snacks – sparking a heated debate between parents about who is in the wrong
A parenting expert has revealed how she was brutally ‘mum-shamed’ in Marks & Spencer over the contents of her shopping bag.
Kirsty Ketley, from Surrey, is a qualified Early Years Practitioner and nanny who also offers parenting advice through her business Auntie K.
Earlier this month, the mother-of-two explained in a TikTok video how she dropped by her local store before the school run to pick up a few household items.
She said: ‘I got properly mum-shamed by this lady in there and I’ll you why. It was all to do with the contents of my basket.’
During her shop, Kirsty picked up a beef cannelloni ready-meal for her children’s dinner, two Valentine’s Day-themed gingerbread biscuits and a garlic bread.
Kirsty Ketley, from Surrey, claims she was ‘mum-shamed’ by a stranger for buying her children a ready meal and some gingerbread biscuits in Marks and Spencer earlier this month
While she was shopping, the mother claims another shopper came up and asked if the ready meal was for her.
When Kirsty told her that it was for her children – aged 10 and seven – to share, the shopper said: ‘There’s a lot of salt in that for kids.’
After taking a look at the cookies, the judgmental woman then asked: ‘I suppose they’re for the kids as well?’
As Kirsty confirmed that they were an after-school snack for her children, the shopper then felt the need to tell her that ‘there’s a lot of sugar’ in the snacks as well.
Kirsty said the interaction came to an end after that – with the woman ‘raising her eyebrows, tutting and walking off’.
Although Kirsty says she wanted to ‘shout and scream’ at the woman, the mother says she decided to be ‘gracious’ in the moment – but admitted it left her feeling ‘wound up’.
She continued: ‘Why would someone want to mum shame me like that? I know that there’s salt in the beef cannelloni, I know there’s sugar in a gingerbread biscuit.
‘I’m not a moron and the thing is, the kids don’t eat like this all the time – it’s just every now and then.
The mother filmed a video hitting back at the stranger – saying that the interaction left her feeling ‘wound up’
‘Because any other parent will tell you that sometimes you just need something that’s easy.
‘I don’t do it every day of the week, they don’t have high sugary snacks all the time – it’s just every now and then. They have a balanced lifestyle.’
What’s more, the mother says she doesn’t put food into ‘good or bad’ categories around her children.
She added: ‘They just see food as food. They just know that some foods make our bodies grow and make us feel better if we eat them [more] than other foods.’
Kirsty ended the clip by saying how grateful she was that her children weren’t there to overhear the shopper’s comments.
The furious mother said: ‘I hate people who shame other mums […] I’m not bothered about what her opinion was but I’m bothered that she decided she thought she had to tell me.’
#question from @kirstyketley Would you be wound up by this? #parentsoftiktok #tiktokparents #tiktokparenting #mumshamed #mumshaming #fyp
Kirsty was met with overwhelming support in the comments – as other parents urged her not to give the shopper any more of her time.
One replied: ‘She’s probably not given you a second though, don’t give her one either!’
Another added: ‘You shouldn’t have to justify a treat for your kids. I would have followed her to see what she was getting!’
‘You did well to say nothing back,’ a third wrote. ‘Take no notice!’
Meanwhile, a fourth said: ‘I have no idea how you remained so calm. Well done and no reason to justify yourself!’
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