Being a mom to a toddler is stressful enough. You certainly don’t need a perfect stranger barging in to make your job more difficult, especially when you’re already having a tough time of it and just trying to get through your day.
One young mom found herself stunned after a “Karen” made a ruckus about a minor and quite innocent accident. After yelling at her, the entitled woman pulled out her phone and started filming everything, flinging accusations all the while.
More info: Reddit
Being a young mom can be challenging, but this woman’s job was made even more difficult by a ranting “Karen”
Image credits: myoceanstudio / Freepik (not the actual photo)
After the wind caught her door and gently knocked it into the Karen’s car, she apologized and offered to exchange info
Image credits: EyeEm / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The Karen lost it, then whipped out her phone and started filming everything while the woman’s frightened toddler screamed in the back seat
Image credits: user15145147 / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The Karen then went on to accuse the woman of leaving her kid in the car with no air circulation—an absolute fabrication
Image credits: RepresentativeKey136
The stunned young mom called 911 and stood her ground, but went online later to vent about her unpleasant run-in
It all started with just a gentle gust of wind nudging a car door into another. No dent, barely a mark. OP says she immediately offered to exchange info with the other car’s owner, owning up to the incident without any objection. The Karen she was confronted with wasn’t interested in fairness, though—she wanted a fight.
Seemingly devoid of empathy, the woman offered OP nothing but accusations. Interrupting her attempt at an explanation, she insisted this was like a past “$2,000 repair.” Then she pointed to an unrelated scratch, claiming it was also from OP’s door. This wasn’t about car damage anymore—it was about manipulation.
As OP tried to pull up her insurance info and calm her screaming toddler, the woman escalated things, filming them both. With stress rising to a peak and her child terrified, OP did what any parent would: called 911. Not to retaliate, but to document the truth. Still, the Karen kept filming—no compassion, no pause, and not a shred of shame.
As if things couldn’t get any worse for OP, the woman then started inventing claims that OP had “banged on her window,” and even that her child was locked in the car without air circulation. Then she blatantly lied about her insurance company. But OP didn’t crumble. Despite her fear and fury, she stood strong and kept her cool.
Proud of how she handled the whole parking lot palaver, OP concludes her story by telling the community that she wanted to show her son that it’s OK to speak up, stand up to unfairness, and refuse to be shamed into silence.
Image credits: ASphotofamily / Freepik (not the actual photo)
From what OP tells us in her post, the Karen possibly thought she could bully her because she’s an immigrant. Fortunately, OP didn’t take the bait—who knows what the obnoxious woman would have accused her of next. But just why do people overreact? We went looking for answers.
In her article for Psychology Today, Ilene Strauss Cohen (Ph.D.) writes that everyone has emotional triggers—specific situations that evoke strong, often unwelcome emotions. For some, it might be the grief of lost opportunities or unmet expectations. Others may react strongly to feeling undervalued or wanting to protect loved ones.
Bowen’s family systems theory asserts that family dynamics and personal history deeply influence our behaviors and emotional responses. According to Cohen, common emotional triggers include unresolved past experiences, perceived injustices, and protective instincts. OP’s Karen might be struggling with at least one of those.
In her article for Forbes, Laura Begley Bloom writes that business comparison company Bionic decided to conduct a study looking into the prevalence of Karens around the globe, including the top states in America for Karens.
It turns out the biggest Karens aren’t actually named Karen. In fact, the top name for women most likely to complain around the globe—the name with the most Karen-like traits—is Louise.
We’d say OP sidestepped her Karen beautifully, wouldn’t you? After all, Karens just want drama and an excuse to send their entitlement into overdrive, but OP didn’t bite a bit.
What would you have done if you’d found yourself in OP’s shoes? Have you ever had a run-in with a Karen? How did it end? Let us know in the comments!
In the comments, readers applauded the woman for not backing down, and some even shared their own “Karen” catastrophes
