A Utah mom is in trouble with law enforcement after she was accused of pulling her son’s teeth in a Walmart restroom.
According to KOMO News, the 47-year-old mom bought hand sanitizer and needle-nose pliers before leading her two sons into the bathroom of a Walmart store in American Fork.
Authorities say the woman used the pliers to pull two teeth out of her 7-year-old son’s mouth right there in the bathroom.
When the boy started screaming, his older brother reportedly grabbed him and they both ran from the restroom.
According to charging documents, the boy told his brother that he had one loose tooth and one that was only slightly loose.
The boy did not believe the second tooth was ready to come out yet, but his mother used the pliers to pull it anyway.
Prosecutors say the mother didn't use any kind of anesthetic when she pulled her son’s teeth on April 2.
According to reports, she has since been charged with felony child abuse over the incident.
To protect the identity of her son, the woman’s name has not been released in the media.
This story has since been shared by several news outlets on Facebook, where many commenters are hotly debating whether or not the woman should actually face felony child abuse charges for pulling her son’s teeth.
“My son has screamed when his tooth was basically hanging from his mouth by the last little bit. My kid is very dramatic about every little thing. Maybe not the wisest choice but felony child abuse sounds a bit over the top!” one mom wrote, defending the woman in question.
“Hmmm I remember my brother tied a string to one of my loose baby teeth to get it out... he didn't go to jail. I got him back years later when I ripped a bandaid off of his arm. I didn't go to jail for that either...,” another added.
“If the tooth isn't ready to come out and still had roots it can be extremely painful. Idk why you would intentionally put your child in pain instead of waiting until it is literally hanging by a thread,” one woman wrote.
“Did any of you people read the actual article??? I originally thought, "what's the big deal?" too. Then I read that the mother pulled out 2 teeth, one of which was not even close to being ready to come out. Seems like a pretty awful experience for that child,” another continued.
