A concerned mother went viral on TikTok after her daughter found a children’s book that she claims promotes substance abuse in parents.
Ashli (@ashliann0214) posted a TikTok video on June 1 of her reading a book titled Daddy Likes Beer, that her daughter allegedly found in the children’s section of Walmart. The video has reached more than 1.3 million views on TikTok.
@ashliann0214 My daughter who watched the only father she knows battle with substance abuse pointed this out to me #wtfwalmart #substanceabuse #triggered #blowthisup #unacceptable #fathersdaysection #notajoke ♬ original sound – Ashli Ann
Ashli told the viewers in the caption of her video that her daughter watched her father battle with substance abuse, and was very upset when she found the book. She posted the video to spread awareness to parents that want to keep their children from triggering information like this, she said in another TikTok video.
The book Daddy Likes Beer by Mike Lukaszewicz, is described on the Walmart website as a “rhyming text with whimsical illustrations.” The first pages of the book read, “Donkey likes a dangled carrot, Bunny likes to disappear, Monkey likes banana smoothies and Daddy likes his beer.” The Walmart website also describes the book as “lighthearted and family friendly.”
Ashli said in another TikTok video responding to commenters that were defending Walmart that “it’s time to be honest with ourselves about what’s going on in this world.” Ashli said that she “would never tell anyone where to shop or where not to shop,” but that she would “hate for a child to get ahold of this book and become upset because of what they’ve been through.”
Ashli told the viewers that she believes that the book should be promoted in the humor section and not the children’s section. After Ashli’s original video went viral, she turned off the comment section due to viewers’ comments who believed she was telling them to stop shopping at Walmart.
As Distractify notes, the book’s publisher has changed the product’s description to say that it’s a “book for dads.”
In a book review, Brewpublic reported that Lukaszewicz got the inspiration for the book after one of his daughters made the observation that “Daddy likes beer.” Lukaszewicz reportedly laughed and told his wife “that would make a great kid’s book.” The review called the project a “great book that’ll be an easy read that’s perfect at bedtime.”
Ashli did not respond to a request for comment via TikTok direct message. Lukaszewicz did not reply to a request for comment via Facebook Messenger. Walmart did not respond to a request for comment.
