A tabloid tried to publicly shame David Beckham's 4-year-old for her pacifier. He did what you'd do.
"Why do people feel they have the right to criticize a parent about their own children without having any facts?"
Would you ever walk up to a stranger walking with their child, pull out a megaphone, and tell the world why you think they're doing parenting wrong?
The Daily Mail, a tabloid known for being (based on an unscientific poll I did of my U.K. friends) full of awful sensationalist drivel that represents everything wrong with humanity, decided to back-seat drive athlete/celebrity David Beckham's parenting decisions when it posted a story about his adorable 4-year-old daughter Harper earlier this week.
Mr Beckham and his daughter, ignoring horrible newspapers and looking stylish. Photo by Don Emmert/Getty Images.
You see, Harper Beckham still uses a pacifier on occasion to soothe herself. And the Daily Mail apparently felt that it was in her best interest for them to plaster her photo over the entire Internet and call up some other people to join in shaming her for using a pacifier. And they even had the gall to pretend the article stemmed from concerns about Harper's welfare, warning that she could end up with "speech or dental issues."
Because nothing protects a child's welfare like publicly shaming a 4-year-old's life choices in a horrible newspaper.
David Beckham, being her dad, apparently was not impressed with the Daily Mail's editorial decisions.
He had some choice words for them on Instagram.
Why do people feel they have the right to criticize a parent about their own children without having any facts ?? Everybody who has children knows that when they aren't feeling well or have a fever you do what comforts them best and most of the time it's a pacifier so those who criticize think twice about what you say about other people's children because actually you have no right to criticize me as a parent ...
A photo posted by David Beckham (@davidbeckham) on
You tell 'em, Becks.
Parenting is hard. Every kid is different.
Unless a child is actually being abused or neglected, you really shouldn't talk about them on the Internets. I'm a parent. My children have, on occasion, said and done things that I would prefer they didn't.
Not one of my friends or strangers has gone on the Internet, posted their picture, and publicly shamed me for my 3-year-old's decision to slap me in the face and then ballet dance on my head.
If you actually are concerned about something valid (not a child's choice of comforting objects), maybe you should go talk to them about it. It's more efficient and less awful than profiting off a toddler's life decisions.
If someone tries to tell you how to do your job, just bend them like Beckham.
Because what he said on Instagram is just so true:
"Everybody who has children knows that when they aren't feeling well or have a fever you do what comforts them best and most of the time it's a pacifier so those who criticize think twice about what you say about other people's children because actually you have no right to criticize me as a parent ..."
To all the parents like Mr. Beckham out there doing their best to make sure their kids turn into fully functional grownups, I salute you.