I Was Mom-Shamed at the Playground—It Left Me Stunned
Another mom's four-word comment at the playground sent me into a spiral about the kind of child I'm raising.
One week ago, I found myself at a playground in New York City with my 16-month-old son. I was surprised when a woman criticized my parenting for praising my son's climb up the stairs on his own. She told me "You shouldn't do that" because I'd said "Good job, buddy!" to him. I was taken aback, but I defended my actions, explaining that he had safely climbed the stairs.
The woman insisted that praising him would make him seek external approval instead of striving for self-motivation. I couldn't respond at the moment, but I left the conversation to protect my child. Reflecting on this experience, I realize that growing up surrounded by overachieving parents and the need to constantly impress them wasn't ideal for my son. I want him to feel proud of his accomplishments on his own, without needing external validation.
Written by urgent.news from Newsweek's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
