Her Child Wouldn’t Go Potty At Mcdonald’s; Then An Angel Intervened

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Among the slew of challenges that come with a 3-year-old, trips to a public bathroom might just top the list.

Those overly sensitive flushing sensors are enough to scare a full-grown adult (or maybe that’s just me)—so for a little tot, that watery explosion can be downright traumatizing.

Tiffany Miller was in precisely this predicament when she stopped to use a McDonald’s bathroom with her daughter in Salina, Kansas. They had quite a long drive home yet to Wichita, and mom knew her toddler would need to use the bathroom in order to avoid relieving herself in the car later. We all know a 3-year-old’s bladder doesn’t wait.

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But too terrified that the toilet would flush while she was on it, the little girl refused to go.

That’s when a stranger took note of the situation and decided to lend mom a hand with a bracelet, a mini Snickers bar and a little creative kindness.

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Tiffany’s viral Facebook post has now inspired thousands of mamas who’ve been in her shoes. Read her heartfelt message to this bathroom angel in disguise below:

#4 "To the Woman in the Salina, KS McDonald’s bathroom:"

"You heard me as I reasoned with a 3 year old to use the bathroom.

You heard me tell her we had a long drive home and she needed to use the potty. You heard her tell me she was scared the toilet would flush while she was sitting on it. I couldn’t convince her I would block the sensor and keep that from happening. She promised she could hold it and wouldn’t pee in the car."

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"Then, you stepped in. You told her you would give her a bracelet if she would go potty for Mommy. She perked up and agreed.

I turned to quickly put her on the potty (before she changed her mind). You told her the bracelet would be waiting outside the stall for her. I turned to say thank you, but you were already gone."

#6

"Outside the stall was a bracelet and a mini Snickers bar. To the Stranger Who Gave My 3-Year-Old a Bracelet in the McDonald’s Bathroom❤️

Her eyes lit up as she put the bracelet on after using the bathroom.

We made it home to Wichita safely and she is currently sleeping soundly next to me…still wearing the bracelet."

#7

"Thank you for your kindness! I wish I could have thanked you in person, but maybe you will see this. If not, hopefully it inspires someone else to be kind like you were.

Sincerely,

A Grateful Mother❤️❤️"

#8

Tiffany composed the post late Saturday night, shortly after getting her 3-year-old tucked into bed, a black-and-silver bracelet encircling her tiny wrist. Three days later, the heartwarming post has been shared on national websites like PopSugar and Love What Matters and the Parents magazine website. It was even shared on Yahoo’s homepage.

As of Tuesday morning, the post on Miller’s Facebook page had been shared nearly 7,000 times and had about 20,000 “likes.”

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“I never imagined so many people would see it,” said Miller, a mom of three who works as an accountant at Koch Industries.

It was about 10 p.m. Saturday when the Miller family was finally headed home from watching son Cameron, 8, play in an all-day basketball tournament at Salina South High School. They stopped at the McDonald’s on Ninth Street to get drinks and use the restroom before embarking on the 90-minute trip back to Wichita.

Miller’s two daughters, Ainsley, age 3, and Lakyn, 5, told their mom they needed to use the restroom. Dad Jared and Cameron went to wait in the car while Tiffany took the girls.

But while in the stall with her mom, Ainsley quickly realized that the McDonald’s restroom was equipped with one of those scary automatic flushers known for activating a wet and noisy whoosh without warning. Three-year-old girls hate that, and Ainsley was definitely not interested.

“Ainsley said, ‘No mama. I can hold it. I will be fine!’ And I said, ‘No, we should probably go before we get in the car.’ ”

Ainsley continued to resist, and Miller was debating whether to push the issue. Then she heard a voice from behind her.

“She said, ‘If you’ll go potty for your mommy, I’ll give you this bracelet,’ ” Miller said.

Now Ainsley was interested. She grinned and said, ‘OK.’ ”

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Miller quickly sprung into action before her daughter changed her mind. They finished their business and exited the stall, where they found a black-and-silver bracelet, a piece of costume jewelry that was missing one of its faux gems, sitting on the counter along with a mini-Snickers bar. The woman was gone.

Ainsley was thrilled. She put the bracelet on her arm and wore it the whole way home. She was asleep when the family arrived home around midnight, so Miller carried her in and put her in her own bed.

“After a while, she rolled over and put her hand on me, and I saw the bracelet on her arm,” Miller said.

Miller said she didn’t get a good look at the woman and couldn’t even guess her age. She looked around for her in the lobby of the restaurant and in the McDonald’s parking lot before they left but didn’t see anyone that could have been her.

Ainsley has rarely taken the bracelet off since then, Miller said. She refers to the lady in the restroom as “Her.”

“She’ll put it on and she’ll say, ‘Look at what she gave me, Mommy. This is from her!’ ” Miller said.

Miller said she hoped that somehow the mystery woman would see her thank-you post. Being a parent is hard, and sometimes you worry you’ll be judged in tough situations. The lady in the restroom didn’t judge, Miller said. She just helped.

She said she has been hearing nonstop from friends and strangers who said they loved the story.

“I think people just like that it’s a nice, feel-good story,” Miller said. “A lot of people have commented that it’s nice to read a positive story and to know that good people are out there willing to help a stranger.

“And I think that’s why it touched me as well. She was willing to help a stranger; she took the chance to step in.”