“I don’t know why, as a society, we’ve decided that it’s rude to call out terrible parenting, or why being ‘polite’ to s**ty parents is more important than children’s well-being.”
Mum Lisa Shearon worries about the pressure to make children use screens for learning.
The same could be said for Eliza*, who was visiting her relative’s house one afternoon.
Her cousin, who has a one-year-old baby, was in the other room while her child sat in the highchair playing with his mum’s phone.
And Eliza was horrified.
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Eliza was horrified when her cousin’s baby was using a smartphone. Picture: iStock
Woman gives unsolicited advice to cousin about her baby
“I don’t like such small kids [to] be given smartphones, and frankly, think it is harmful,” she said on Reddit.
“I understand parents getting from work tired but still, the child’s brain is at risk.”
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The woman couldn’t help but watch in horror as the baby stuck his nose in the phone, happily watching the children’s content his mum had set up.
Suddenly, Eliza’s cousin called out to her baby to come over, but the baby didn’t move a muscle.
“The kid didn’t even budge, constantly looking at the screen as if he couldn’t even register the presence,” she said.
“After [a] few minutes, he eventually closed the smartphone and went to play with her.”
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Now, it’s important to note that Eliza isn’t a parent herself, but that wasn’t stopping her from voicing her opinion.
“I was still alarmed and told my cousin that young kids using smartphones will just ‘ruin’ them,” she said.
“…it is obviously not good for the brain.”
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Her cousin was instantly offended by this take, and told Eliza that once she becomes a parent, her mind may change.
“I just replied that I [would] be responsible and not let my toddler use phones ever,” Eliza said in return.
(Yeah, sure, let’s see how that goes!)
Safe to say, Eliza’s cousin was deeply put off by her comments, especially since she has no kids of her own.
“Sure, it’s not my child, but I just wanted to give advice,” Eliza defended.
“Majority of parents let their very young kids and even younger than that use smartphones, watch TikTok or YouTubeKids on their TV screens,” she continued.
“And frankly, it’s infuriating considering all the research and studies done on the negative effects of the screens.”
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“Everyone has different opinions on parenting”
A debate quickly followed, with parents sharing their thoughts on Eliza’s unwarranted and un-asked-for comments.
“I have to fight constantly people who try to shame me for letting my kids watch a screen,” a mum said. “Sorry, not sorry.”
“Everyone has different opinions on parenting,” said another.
“You are right that a child using electronics often can have a negative impact on kids, especially so young, but you gave unsolicited advice to another parent without any offers of alternative solutions.”
And while some believe Eliza may have had good intentions, she went about it in the wrong way.
“Parents CONSTANTLY get unsolicited advice from their family, friends, and strangers on the street,” a mum wrote.
“The minute you have a child, everyone in your life suddenly becomes an expert of raising children and every decision you make gets questioned.”
“Maybe she has lots to do, maybe she’s tired, and it’s easy to lose grip of how much screen time the kid actually has,” said another. “You could have worded it differently.”
But others applauded Eliza for her actions.
“I think you are completely correct here,” someone said. “It makes me very sad to see mothers pushing very small children in pushchairs and the child is glued to mum’s phone.”
“I don’t know why, as a society, we’ve decided that it’s rude to call out terrible parenting, or why being ‘polite’ to s**ty parents is more important than children’s well-being.”
*Names have been changed
