'Pretty f***ed up': Man blasts mum for leaving her child alone in a car

“She's about two years of age, bawling her eyes out. It's pathetic.” 

A man has shared a tense encounter with a mother at a convenience store in Western Australia.

Bradley Arnott, a dad, had been walking past a line of cars when he heard the cries of a child from within a car. 

Posting footage online of the discovery, he writes, “This boils my blood.”   

Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this. 

RELATED: The one thing you shouldn't do if you're in a car crash with your child

“I’m a father myself and always take my kids in”

The youngster was sitting in the back seat of a car, crying, with the windows partially down; but her mother was apparently nowhere to be found.

“It takes two seconds to grab your child out of the car seat. Especially in summer,” Bradley says. 

“I’m a father myself and always take my kids in no matter what.” 

In the footage, he then walks into the petrol station to try to find the child’s parent.

“Whoever’s left their little girl in the car screaming, that’s pretty f***ed up. She’s young,” he announces to the store. 

A woman steps forward in shock, and begins racing out to retrieve her child.

@brad.a.1999

It takes 2 seconds to grab your child out the car seat, Especially in summer.. I’m a father myself and always take my kids in no matter what.! 🤬 #fyp parenting #foryou #mood #australia

♬ original sound - Bradley Arnott

But Bradley isn’t done.

“'You're a mother, grab your child out of the car. She's about two years of age, bawling her eyes out. It's pathetic.” 

The mum doesn't argue back; instead she agrees with him. 

“Thank you, you're right, you're right,” she responds. 

"Disgusting to think parents do this"

The video has attracted millions of views, and strongly divided viewers.

Some slammed the mother, wholeheartedly agreeing with Bradley's actions. 

“Good on you man for saying something,” wrote one. 

“Well done for making a scene and filming her! Disgusting to think parents do this!” a second agreed. 

However, others defended the mother, claiming the man’s response was unnecessarily harsh.

“Way to talk to her! It’s not her fault the servo is busy and her child was fast asleep when she finished! The amount of times my little man has done this is crazy! Leave this mum alone,” one viewer offered. 

Another felt the same way: “I always left my two boys in the car when I had to duck into a shop, windows down engine running, they loved it and it was easier for me. Everyone parents differently.” 

image: TikTok/brad.a.1999

RELATED: ‘Entitled’ mum’s ‘safety’ act in car park shocks internet

"As a kids in cars advocate, I think this is a slippery slope"

The Kidspot team and some of our readers also weighed in with their thoughts:

- "This is so aggressive. To film her and post it. Even if she did do the wrong thing."

 - "I've written and read too much about Fatal Distraction and kids dying in cars to ignore this. It's a risky, slippery slope."

- "He didn't need to shame the mum like this. He could have just spoken to her. He was doing the right thing in calling her out, but didn't need to post it."

- "He did the right thing but in the wrong way."

- "Every parent has done something like this."

Bradley later posted a follow-up, explaining he chose to film the situation in case he needed to intervene and needed evidence.

“I don’t care whether you’re in there for 30 seconds or five minutes, you do not leave a young child in a f***ing car seat,” he reiterated. 

“It’s not worth it your child going missing or something happening to your child.”

Kidspot reached out to Bradley for comment but didn't received a response by the time of publication.

Originally published as 'Pretty f***ed up': Man blasts mum for leaving her child alone in a car