Woman Calls Parents 'Trashy' After They Sent Their Daughter To Her House In An Uber For A Sleepover
Many parents shudder at the idea.
Lalandrew / Shutterstock There are many debates regarding what makes someone a bad, or "trashy," parent. For some, a parent making their child walk home from school alone is reason enough to be concerned.
Many believe sending your child off in an Uber alone is no different.
One woman wanted to meet the parents of her daughter’s friend coming over for a sleepover, but learned that she had been sent in an Uber.
In response to a man’s TikTok video, asking, “What immediately screams ‘trashy parenting’ to you?” a content creator and mother named Jill shared an experience that left her appalled.
The woman explained that five years ago when her daughter was 13 years old, she asked if her friend could come over for a sleepover. Jill said yes, but wanted to meet the girl’s parents when they dropped her off, as many parents do.
When the friend arrived, Jill came outside to greet the girl and the man who appeared to be her father, but he started to drive off. She mentioned that she had wanted to introduce herself to the friend's father, and the kid replied, “Oh, that’s not my dad.”
Jill then discovered she had taken an Uber by herself. “They sent her to a stranger’s house to spend the night in an Uber with a strange man they knew nothing about,” the mother expressed with horror.
The story struck a chord with viewers, as many parents fiercely protect their children from strangers
TikTok users flooded the comments of the woman’s post in agreement that this form of parenting was indeed "trashy."
“It has always been a red flag if another parent doesn't want to find out info about me or my household,” one person commented. “It’s amazing to me the amount of parents who never wanted to meet me or my husband and their kids practically lived at my house,” another individual shared.
In all fairness, certain details of the story are unclear. Maybe the girl’s parents don’t have a car, or maybe they were busy working and couldn’t drive her. There’s also the possibility that the girl did not even ask her parents and ordered the Uber herself.
Still, sending your young teen runs the risk of leaving your child in the hands of a stranger, where anything can happen.
It isn’t the first time Uber drivers have driven children to destinations without the company of a parent or adult.
“I drove Uber and would get kids a lot,” one woman commented on the video. “We weren’t supposed to pick them up [without an] adult, but if I didn’t, someone else would. At least [they’re safe with me].”
While the idea of your child riding in a stranger’s car is horrifying for many parents, Uber claims that safety incidents are "extremely rare" and has even recently lifted the age restriction from 18 to 13 years old. Uber now allows minors over 13 to take their rides without a parent or guardian present as long as their account is linked to their guardian’s account.
Despite many vouching for the safety features implemented by Uber, those rare occurrences still do happen, and it's important to stay safe.
When an 18-year-old girl shared her fears about riding Uber by herself and asked for safety tips in a Reddit post, users suggested keeping the app running, making (or faking) a phone call, sitting diagonally behind the driver, and sharing your ride with others.
Uber provides several safety features, such as an emergency assistance button which will instantly connect the rider to emergency services. Uber also protects both the driver’s and rider’s phone numbers and conceals specific pick-up and drop-off locations once a trip is complete.
The story raises awareness of absent and neglectful parents.
Regardless of Uber's safety features, sending a young teen in an Uber alone is still cause for concern.
There was a striking trend in the comment section of Jill's TikTok video — many parents open their homes to their children’s friends and never even end up meeting their parents.
The best parents are notorious for prohibiting their children from having sleepovers unless they have personally met the parents so they can trust their child is in safe hands.
On the flip side, some don’t even bother to keep up with where the child chooses to go. This raises concern for many parents and points to "trashy" parenting with a lack of guidance, as these children can easily end up in dangerous and unsafe situations.
“When I was in 8th grade, my best friend stayed the entire weekend with me,” one user commented on Jill's video. “When my mom dropped her off, her mom didn’t even realize she was gone.”
This trend can be noticed outside the comment section of Jill's post. Many families unintentionally take in their kids’ friends, feeding them meals, driving them to school, and letting them stay the night — likely because their parents may be absent, neglectful, or even abusive. In fact, one in four children experience child neglect or abuse in their home.
No matter how busy a child’s parents may be, they should always be protective and involved in their children’s lives. Pay attention to the friends your child invites over because you never know what they may be experiencing at home.
Children need enough care to be healthy and enough supervision to be safe. If you suspect a child you know is being neglected, contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline for more resources at 1-800-4-A-CHILD.
Francesca Duarte is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team based in Orlando, FL. She covers lifestyle, human-interest, and spirituality topics.