A discovery in the Target baby aisle reminded one woman how much mothers sacrifice. She paid it forward, and others followed suit with ‘she deserved the purse’. Mums throughout the United States are anonymously buying gift cards or leaving cash in baby items at Target and Walmart stores — all because Denaesha Gonzalez saw a misplaced purse.
The Nashville mum was with her 2-year-old son in her local Target this month when she noticed a familiar sight — a silver clutch handbag that retails for US$20 ($32) misplaced on the shelf of the baby aisle. To the 28-year-old, this meant something deeper: a mum with a young child sacrificed something she wanted, to buy something for her baby. “I’ve found myself several times wishing I could get something but couldn’t.
I’ve gone through seasons of lack where we could only afford just the essential things,” Gonzalez told the Washington Post in a Zoom interview. She posted a 17-second video with the text, “SHE DESERVED THE PURSE” to the sound of a woman exhaling, in the hope it would resonate with mothers — her video has since gone viral with more than 20 million views. It also has inspired people to hide money in diaper boxes and formula containers to allow a mum who is struggling to buy something for herself.
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