'For Days, I Cried, Full of Mom Guilt’: Mom Speaks on Tragedy That Befell Daughter at Theme Park

A woman recalled her daughter's tragic accident at a theme park on TikTok. She admitted that the incident left her scarred, and she cried for days, filled with mom guilt.

Children love adventures. They are inherently curious and enjoy being outdoors whenever they can. For many parents, taking their children to theme parks is a way to feed this curiosity. Unfortunately, one mom's theme park adventure ended up being a nightmare.

A content creator named Mama Bear admitted it wasn't supposed to end up that way. The theme park she went to in Sacramento, California, was one she'd been going to since she was a child.

She knew the place by heart by the time she had children. So, when she took her daughters there for a play date with a couple of her friends, she happily agreed.

A Tragedy Took Place at the Park

Inside the park was a slide called "The Red Shoe," which had been there since the doting mom was a child, and she and her brother had pictures there from 20 years ago.

Her older daughter, then two years old, insisted they go on the slide. They'd usually go on slides together whenever they went to parks and this time was no different. The mother and daughter climbed up the steep stairs. And while many kids struggled to get up with them, they eventually made it.

Mama Bear and her daughter slid down the metal slide. Unfortunately, the slide was so steep that they flew off. Not wanting her child to get hurt, the mom tried to use her feet to stop them from falling, but they still tumbled. Her daughter landed on her right kneecap, while the 5'4" mom landed on her daughter's side.

Ultimately, the mom left with a bruised knee and a scraped elbow. Her little girl yelled and cried, but her mom calmed her down. Initially, the mom thought her daughter was okay, but it turns out there was more than met the eye.

The Accident Changed Their Family's Life

As they were both taken aback by what happened, they took a moment to sit down and collect themselves. When they were better, the mom took her kids home.

Later that evening, the mom realized there was something terribly wrong. Rather than running around the house and playing with her 3-month-old sister as usual, her toddler refused to move.

She and her husband decided to take their daughter to the emergency room. They made her undergo some X-rays and determined that she had broken her femur.

After hours of back-and-forth with the doctor, the woman was told her daughter would be getting a spica cast. She had to wear it for four weeks. The spica cast went from the two-year-old's rib cage all the way down to her ankles. She could not move because of it.

"I sobbed. For days, I cried full of mom guilt and heartache watching my [baby girl] like that," the mom admitted. After the incident, the young girl had to re-learn how to walk. It was a challenging time for their entire family.

The mom never went on a slide with her daughters ever again. She urged parents not to risk it and instead support their kids to slide alone. In the aftermath, people made sure to shower the mom with support after she opened up about her story.

"Her little hands and sad face. I can't imagine the guilt," one person wrote. "I had my son on my lap before he was 1and his shoe caught the side of the slide. Broke (somewhere in his knee)," a fellow mom shared.

"I've been holding my 1 year old's legs to keep them from catching, but I think I'll just stop sliding with him at all now," said another mom. "I never knew this can happen. Thank you for sharing mama. I'm sorry you have mom guilt, it's not your fault," assured another user.

Mama Bear is only one of many moms who deal with mom guilt. One celebrity who once spoke out about it is Kelly Clarkson. She felt guilty for having to work so hard, which meant less time spent with her children.

Moms want to be there for each moment of their kids' lives. However, with other priorities coming into play, it can be challenging to balance their time.