Mom Reacts To Negative Parenting Feedback After Posting A Video Of Her Daughter Throwing A Fit While Carrying An IPad
iPads shouldn't be a substitute for parenting, but we all need a little help from time to time.
christinarosepix / Shutterstock Raising another human being is not exactly easy, especially when it comes to toddlers and their temperament. After one mother posted a video of her 3-year-old daughter publicly throwing a tantrum, she was met with negative comments weighing in on her seemingly lackluster parenting style.
A mom received criticism for her parenting after recording her toddler throwing a tantrum while carrying an iPad.
In a 9-second clip, TikToker Amanda Woods filmed her young daughter marching her way into a store with an iPad in hand. Moments before entering, Woods strokes the end of her daughter’s braided headband and says, “I like your hair!”
Clearly displeased by this gesture, the little girl starts wailing and briskly whips her headband at a wall. Woods fittingly captioned this video, “The moment you realize your kid is about to embarrass the s-–t out of you at the grocery store.”
People in the comments argued that technology has negatively affected the youth of this generation.
If anything, this video goes to show how unpredictable children can be, mood swings and all. However, some people have argued that the little girl’s reaction might reveal more about her mother’s approach to using an iPad as a parenting substitute.
One user noted that in her time as a child therapist, this generation of “iPad kids” — otherwise known as children who are prematurely exposed to tablet devices and other modes of digital technology — are definitely “the most reactive” bunch compared to others with limited screen time.
Another user wrote, “I don’t get how we know iPads affect their development and yet people still keep getting them for their very young children.”
In response to Woods’ TikTok, another user named Bre Hummel stitched a video slamming modern parents for creating a generation of technology-obsessed children.
“Oh, I want to vomit at the fact that there’s going to be an entire generation of kids like this,” Hummel stated. “An entire generation of kids that are reactive as hell — no situational awareness.”
The user continued, “They’re just being fed screen time because the parents either can’t stand them crying for more than five minutes, which is normal. Kids need to cry. They’re not going to have emotional regulation skills, which was shown in this video, if you’re shoving a screen in their face all the time.”
Hummel also supposes that lazy parenting may be another reason behind the boost in iPad usage among today's adolescents. “You’re just lazy and don’t want to spend time with them, or if you go out to eat, to dinner, you use the iPad as a distraction so that way you don’t have to give the child attention instead,” said Hummel. “It is the laziest form of f–--ing parenting.”
As generational perspectives shift towards a digital mode of living, more children are spending much of their time inches away from a screen.
While it’s worth noting the irony that this is coming from an account garnering over 500 videos, there is still something to be said about the way children are being brought up in today’s society.
In a recent study led by pediatrician and clinical researcher Dr. John S. Hutton, MD, MS, evidence suggests that children harboring excessive amounts of screen time between the ages of 3 to 5 can affect a child’s brain development associated with “differences in a range of abilities.”
Throughout his research, Dr. Hutton and his team discovered that more screen time was linked to lower cortical thickness (CT) and sulcal depth (SD), which are measurements used to assess the outer layer of one’s brain — the cerebral cortex — that is responsible for vital cognitive functions such as memory, language, motor control, reasoning, and so on.
Of course, this fairly new area of study will continue to evolve, just as the world does. To that end, not only is it important to stay informed on this topic, but to also recognize its nuances because no one child is the same.
The mother uploaded a follow-up video as a result of mom-shaming backlash.
Woods eventually followed up after receiving negative parenting feedback on her previous post, offering an explanation of the video and her situation as a single mother.
“It’s hard when you’re doing it on your own, and mom-guilt is real,” she said. “Every day I feel guilty about something, but I really do try to be the best mother I can be to my daughter.”
Towards the latter half of the video, Woods admits that although her daughter hardly ever uses her iPad, it does have its perks from time to time when she’s trying to check things off her to-do list.
“I’ll be honest with you, grocery shopping with a toddler is awful,” she says, adding, “And if this gives me ten minutes of a little bit of peace so I can get my bananas and my oranges and my chicken and my beef — so be it.”
All things considered, it’s safe to say that giving your child an iPad, or other electronic devices, can serve as a double-edged sword. On one hand, it can provide exhausted parents a moment of relief, but on the other, excessive screen exposure can cognitively and emotionally affect the way a child navigates the world.
While parents indubitably have an important role to fill in their child’s lives, they are also human. That is why it’s important to create an environment of understanding for parents rather than criticizing their methods of parenting.
Ultimately, supporting each other in an ever-changing world can pave the way for a more compassionate future for kids and parents alike.
Xiomara Demarchi is a writer and frequent contributor to YourTango’s news and entertainment team. Keep up with them on Instagram.