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Mum tells kids LA fires aren’t a 'bad thing' to try and teach them a lesson and people are seriously divided

Home> News

Published 16:29 13 Jan 2025 GMT

Mum tells kids LA fires aren’t a 'bad thing' to try and teach them a lesson and people are seriously divided

The anonymous woman was interviewed by MSNBC's Katy Tur about her loss

Rhianna Benson

Rhianna Benson

One Los Angeles mum believed the devastating wildfires across California posed the perfect opportunity to teach her children an 'important lesson'.

Sadly, the revelation has been much to the dismay of millions of internet users, who have slammed the mother-of-two for 'toxic positivity'.

24 lives have been lost as the result of a number of wildfires which ripped their way through California last week.

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The wildfires erupted last week (Apu Gomes/Getty Images)
The wildfires erupted last week (Apu Gomes/Getty Images)

The initial LA blaze erupted on 7 January before branching out to a further eight - one of which investigating officers now believe was caused by arson after a man was arrested.

The Palisades and Eaton fires are believed to have caused the most fatalities, having tragically taken 16 lives, - though these numbers are expected to rise.

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony C Marrone gave press an update today that 70 additional water trucks have now been dispatched to fire ravaged or at risk areas to prepare for the upcoming gusts of winds. As such, many locals have been returning to the land where the homes once stood, many of which have been totally destroyed.

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As we say, however, one LA mum has used the tragic events to give her children a vital 'learning' moment.

The California mother - who wished to remain anonymous - was approached by news anchor Katy Tur earlier this week during some live coverage for MSNBC.

The unnamed mum broke down in tears (MSNBC)
The unnamed mum broke down in tears (MSNBC)

Along with her two kids - a nine-year-old son and a six-year-old daughter - she was seen surveying some of the damage inflicted by the fires onto their Pacific Palisades home, the vast majority of which had been burned to the ground.

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Speaking to viewers, the mum was asked why she'd brought her family back to the demolished site, replying: "I believe that life is about learning and about having experiences that make you more human."

Becoming increasingly upset, she went on to explain: "I was telling my kids, 'This isn't a bad thing. This is just, like, a potent thing. This is something that makes us bigger humans'."

The teaching hasn't gone too well with many social media users, however, with some claiming that this week's disaster was an inappropriate opportunity for a life lesson.

Taking to social media, one spectator hit out: "WTF...... I disagree with this".

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Another accused the mum of 'toxic positivity', adding: "This is a moment to discuss empathy, compassion and what it means to help others by finding ways to support a community by work and donations".

A third penned a lengthy criticism, writing: "Ok but the mass amounts of wildlife lost to this tragedy is heartbreaking. I could never spin this into a positive.

They went on: "Yes the humans who survived can rebuild. But lives were lost. Natural elements take a long time to regrow. All those trees took decades to mature. Many of us won't be around to see the new ones planted mature because that takes too long. This whole thing is heartbreaking to anyone who looks at it as a whole and not just tunnel vision on their own situation."

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Others, however, have praised the unnamed mother for her approach to the heartbreaking situation.

After MSNBC shared a clip of the interaction on TikTok, one wrote: "The emotional intelligence of that woman is on another level. May this ability to see a new perspective find me."

"God bless that woman her heart is pure and full of empathy," a second added.

A third went on to gush: "I can’t even comprehend experiencing the pain that mom feels. Instant tears as soon as I saw her with her kids. I hope she knows what an incredible mom she is."

Featured Image Credit: MSNBC/Apu Gomes/Getty Images

Topics: US News, News, Parenting

Rhianna Benson
Rhianna Benson

Rhianna is an Entertainment Journalist at LADbible Group, working across LADbible, UNILAD and Tyla. She has a Masters in News Journalism from the University of Salford and a Masters in Ancient History from the University of Edinburgh. She previously worked as a Celebrity Reporter for OK! and New Magazines, and as a TV Writer for Reach PLC.

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@rhiannaBjourno

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