A mum of a three-year-old girl who has autism, pica and hypermobility syndrome has written a moving open letter to strangers who called her an "irresponsible" parent.
Sammi Ovington posted a photo of her daughter Skye on Facebook on Monday 29 February and mentioned all the strangers she met that day who disapproved of both her and her daughter's behaviour.
"To the lady in Paperchase telling me Skye was naughty, I'm irresponsible and I shouldn't give her things before I've paid for them, thanks for your input," Ovington wrote.
"Pica is a disorder where she feels the uncontrollable need to eat non-edible things. Skye's thing is paper. I'm sorry she ate the barcode before we paid but she isn't naughty and I am not irresponsible."
Ovington continued: "To the member of staff in Wilko, no I wouldn't rather take my child who is in the middle of a meltdown outside and come back in a minute. I think that's what you would rather me do and I am disgusted with your attitude.
"To the people just staring at me, whispering to each other and the blatant judging of my parenting, I hope your children don't have bad days like this.
"And to the old lady in Sainsbury's who told me Skye was too old to be in a buggy and she should be walking, thank you for your input. Skye has hypermobility syndrome.
"Walking long distances for her is painful. So she goes in a buggy when she is too tired to save her little legs from hurting."
Ovington finished the post saying she had never felt judged by so many people during one day.
"The noise of builders, cars, the beeping to cross the road and music in the shop was all too much for Skye," she added.
"Skye dealt with it the only way she knows how. To cover her ears, shake and cry. She was scared. She was upset. And she was panicking. She was NOT being naughty.
Ovington wrote the post on Monday 29 February 2016 and it has been shared more than 4,000 times in five days.
Other parents of children with autism have commented on the post and related to what the mother said.
"I've had a similar situation with my daughter in the middle of a busy shopping centre," one mother wrote.
"All the six girls could do was sit and stare laugh and talk to each other [while] staring at a mum of a seven-year-old daughter with autism."
Another person commented on the photo: "I had all this with my daughter when she was small, and more. She's 30 now.
"I'd love to say it gets better, but it doesn't. However our special girls have special mummies and we can handle it. Here's to you and your daughter, bless you both."
Since Ovington uploaded the post, it has been picked up by media outlets including the MailOnline who wrote that Ovington "left her child crying for two hours".
However, Ovington has since stated this was not the case and she decided to update her post to correct the mistake.
"My child was not left for two hours crying whilst I just carried on with my everyday shopping," she wrote.
Ovington also noted that Wilkinson's have since been in touch and dealt with her issues raised "quickly and professionally".
