Yahoo Finance Mom says ‘Shark Tank’ appearance led to cyber bullies ‘attacking’ her 7-year-old daughter
A mom claims that she and her daughter were bullied after appearing on Shark Tank. Now, she’s calling for an end to cyberbullying.
Amy Leinbach and her 7-year-old daughter, Marlo Leinbach, co-founded Big Bee Little Bee, a children’s accessories business. Every item is either invented by Marlo or Amy, such as their Marker Parker, which helps keep marker caps contained.
The mom thought it was a necessary business move to appear on Shark Tank, where she offered 20% equity for a $100,000 investment.
Ultimately, the Sharks passed on working with the duo. However, Leinbach isn’t upset over the outcome of the show. She’s not even angry that some didn’t like her; she expected “trolls.” What shocked her was the magnitude of harassment and bullying she and Marlo received.
“I was not prepared for them to attack me as a mother. I was not prepared for people to say I was exploiting my child,” Leinbach said. “I was certainly not prepared for people attacking my kid herself and calling her names.”
Within 48 hours of the show’s airing, the deluge of negativity hit her DMs and social media. She could hardly get out of bed because she was overwhelmed with sadness. But it wasn’t just Marlo on her mind.
“I think about all of the teen and tween girls and boys who are living in this socially connected world who — what if they were criticized in that way? And I know they are,” she said.
Leinbach wondered how “hateful comments” could impact younger people because she could hardly take it as an adult.
“This stuff is hurting me. I know I’m a good mother. I know I don’t exploit my child for my own personal gain. But words matter,” she added.
TikTokers supported the mother and couldn’t have felt more different than the bullies out there.
“Very out of the loop, but I can’t imagine anyone judging you for allowing your daughter’s ideas to become a reality! That’s amazing!! Don’t stop,” a person said.
“Don’t let keyboard warriors take away such a big accomplishment!” a user wrote.
“Dropping everything you are doing to help your daughter bring her idea to life is AMAZING parenting,” a TikToker commented.
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