A mother forced her young son to carry heavy water, then slapped him when he dropped it.

Police arrested Kiah Lowery after a customer's door camera caught her hitting her six-year-old child during an Instacart delivery.

We expect our parents to protect us when we are small and weak. But a home video shows how fast that trust can break when stress takes over.

WHAT HAPPENED

Police in Florida arrested 36-year-old Kiah Lowery for child abuse. A customer in St. Augustine saw a disturbing scene on a door camera and called the police.

Lowery was delivering groceries for Instacart. She made her 6-year-old son carry a heavy case of water bottles.

The boy could not hold the heavy package and dropped it. Lowery then yelled bad words at him and slapped him across the face.

WHAT THE EVIDENCE SHOWS

The case of water weighed 26 pounds.

• The boy weighs just 49 pounds, which means the water was more than half his weight.
• The boy is only 6 years old.
• Lowery paid a $5,000 bond to leave jail.
• A judge ordered Lowery to stay at least 500 feet away from her son.

THE BIGGER QUESTION

This sad story makes us look at the gig economy. Many parents must bring their kids to work because they cannot afford child care.

How do we help parents who are stretched to their breaking point? We need to talk about the stress of low-pay gig work on families.

THE OTHER SIDE

Lowery told the police that her son was being defiant. She apologized and said she was over-stimulated at the time. This defense does not hold up well because the video shows the child was simply too small to carry the heavy load.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW

Lowery cannot see or contact her son. The boy is safe from her for now, but he will need support to heal from this trauma. Instacart will likely ban Lowery from working for them.

WHAT WE STILL DON'T KNOW

Who is taking care of the boy right now?

• Will Instacart change its rules about workers bringing kids on deliveries?
• How long will the court keep Lowery away from her son?

SOURCE NOTE

This story is based on reports from the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office and media reports. All charges are allegations - Kiah Lowery is presumed innocent until proven guilty.