A viral parenting post is sparking a bigger conversation about childcare, or the lack thereof, for parents working in the gig economy.
A mixed-raced woman who goes by Bridget Locklear online reported a Black DoorDash driver for bringing her daughter on a delivery.
“Make arrangements for childcare or hire a nanny,” Locklear wrote in a self-righteous post, vowing to keep reporting “situations like this” (in other words, working parents).
She wrote, “If you’re working and delivering orders, your child shouldn’t have to tag along.”
A doorbell camera screenshot that accompanied the post showed the young girl standing patiently behind her mother at the customer’s front door.
Locklear later allegedly wrote on Instagram, “Normalize DoorDash isn’t a real 9 to 5…” according to the account “BallerAlert,” which has been following the incident.
Many parents working gig jobs turn to DoorDash precisely because of its policy on children. The company allows children to join deliveries, as long as they don’t handle or complete any orders.
Locklear posted DoorDash’s reply, in which the company said it would review her report under its internal policies and procedures.
While there’s no update on the outcome, the post has over 6,000 comments, with many users raging against Locklear’s “tone-deaf” attitude.
Although the post did not explain the delivery driver’s specific situation, many people used the opportunity to show support for working parents.
“God bless single moms with no help,” one wrote, while others pointed out that the child was safe with her mother.
One top comment read, “DoorDash-ing but thinks she can get a nanny? Normalize minding your business.”
Another said: “People are so hateful! Clearly, if she had a sitter, she would’ve used them. She thought she ate by posting this too smh.”
While a few chimed in to support Locklear, most agreed with one commenter who described her as “out of touch with average Americans’ struggles.”
After all, more than one-third of the U.S. workforce is involved in some sort of gig work to make ends meet. Lacking means for childcare, many delivery drivers take their kids with them to work, according to Gig Workers Rising, a labor advocacy campaign.
While people debate the post online, it highlights a hard truth: stereotypes and ignorance often lead people to judge struggling parents more harshly, when they could use a little grace instead of being reported.
