Sometimes, it helps to know the full story before we start casting our judgment – especially when photos or videos go viral on social media. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for Amber Wright, a 38-year-old mother from Utah who saw a video of her hugging her 16-year-old son after a high school football game.
The Instagram video in question was posted on August 17 and shows him picking his mother up while she straddled her legs around his waist before giving him some words of encouragement. Of course, social media ran wild with it and many people took to the comments to call it ‘inappropriately affectionate.’
“When I walked up to hug my baby boy after his game, he immediately picked me up and just held me,” she wrote in the caption. “It may have been 20 seconds, 30 seconds, a minute, I have no idea. But in this moment, time stood completely still. I honestly don’t know what I did to deserve you [Brix Wright].”
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The comments were rude and distasteful to those who didn’t understand the full story. “oh you’re one of THOSE moms..” one user commented. Another user commented, “Literally thought this was his girlfriend tf,” while a third user wrote, “Come on guys. She’s not like a *regular* mom she’s a *COOL* mom.”
In an interview with TODAY last week, the proud mother took a moment to address the hug and defend herself against the hateful comments. “I never expected it to turn into something where people are like, ‘You’re sexually abusing him! You’re grooming him! I’m calling child protective services,’” she said.
She goes on to explain that she comes from a very affectionate family. “What you saw on the football field is just how we are. Brix will pick me up and squeeze me and then put me back down,” she said – adding that it was a very emotional moment between her mother and son for a very sad and devastating reason.
Two years ago – on April 4, 2021 – Brix Wright (the son) lost his father to suicide. While he normally wears the number 58 when he plays football, he decided to honor his father this year with the number 44 (a tribute to the day his father died, 4/4/2021). It was the first time she saw him wearing it during a game.
Brix Wright Praises and Defends His Mother
On September 6, Amber Wright posted a screenshot of a message her son, Brix, wrote to a concerned user on Instagram – asking him to explain the situation. He wrote a heartfelt message that praised his mother for being his hero and explaining what happened with his father and his suicide back in 2021.
“My mom is my hero. I was just giving her a hug after the game and I did pick her up she did not jump on me. My moms been the only person there for me my whole life,” he said of his mother – adding he grew up with an alcoholic father who was ‘great when he was sober,’ but would ‘come and go’ as he pleased.
He went on to explain that his father would never show up for his football games, but his mother has been to every single one since he started playing. “My dad ended up committing suicide last year and this year I changed my number to 44 bc it was his death date. It was her first time seeing me wear it in person.”
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From the outside looking in, the hug might’ve seemed ‘inappropriately affectionate,’ but that’s because we never really know the story behind the moment. Unfortunately for this mother-son duo, the internet didn’t take the time to understand that moment and were too quick to judge it for something that it wasn’t.