Comms Around Dad with Daughters in Bathroom

A viral video and the response illustrate the challenges of parenting and demonstrate how a “girl dad” handled a confrontation with grace.

A father was traveling from Florida to Oklahoma with his two daughters. Tyler Brodsky chose the women’s room at a QuikTrip in Alabama over the men’s room, which he said was dirty. (Police later said bringing the girls into the men’s room would have been equally problematic.)

The video, now with more than 4 million views, shows Brodsky incredibly calm while a man is yelling at them and threatening to call the police. Melissa, the store manager, is kind to the girls, but students might wonder why she didn’t do more to deter the man or call the police herself to deescalate the situation and protect the family.

In a follow-up video, Brodsky explains what happened at the time and raises bigger issues. He talks about the difficulty for parents and grandparents in this situation and says the he doesn’t condone harassment of anyone involved. He also expresses gratitude to Melissa, the police who said he did nothing wrong, and others who have reached out.

Overstreet Properties, which owns the QuikTrip, posted a statement. The language is fairly generic (“does not reflect the values” and “quality service”). The leaders could have said more, for example, to apologize more explicitly and acknowledge the challenge for families. (Gender-neutral bathrooms would solve the problem, but that might be too much to ask for this company and property.) They did admit that the man was affiliated with Overstreet and took action by cutting ties with him. Students might rewrite the statement to demonstrate more accountability and compassion.