It feels like you can barely make a move in public these days without the possibility of ending up on the internet.
Now, while this can certainly be abused, it can also sometimes be used for good – take, for example, when people are called out for doing bad things.
I can only imagine that’s what internet denizens believed was happening when an Instagram post went viral in early March purporting to show a note displayed by a mom who had left her baby in the car to run into Target to do some shopping.
Enough to stop the heart, right? Well, don’t worry, there’s more to this story than meets the eye.
Back in March, influencer Bonnie Engle shared a reel to her Instagram that soon spread like wildfire. Since being posted, the clip has accrued millions of views and more than 1,000 comments.
The video in question shows a close-up of a handwritten sign taped inside the window of a car, reading: “My baby is OK. He has his snacks and a drink! I’m in Target. Be back soon!”
Needless to say, the note alone was enough to send shockwaves around a large portion of the people who saw the clip.
Yet those prepared to give the video a chance soon got to see that Engle isn’t so much a bad mother as she is a mischievous partner. Seconds after the aforementioned close-up on the note in the window, the camera pans back, revealing that Engle’s baby in the car isn’t a baby at all … rather, it’s her husband.
The influencer captioned the Instagram reel: “Please no judgment. He is safe & well.”
Her husband can be seen waiting inside the vehicle snacking on popcorn.
Fortunately, fans in the comments section saw the funny side to Bonnie’s clip.
“My heart dropped and then I LMAO,” one wrote.
“It’s so much easier to leave them in the car,” another person said.
“For a second I was about to get really upset … I was not expecting that,” a third added.
Watch the video here:
As per reports, much of Engels’ content is humorous and well-suited to moms who can relate to the everyday stresses of parenthood.