Constance Hall is a Queen, but also a polarising figure. Her refreshingly real take on parenting has attracted as much applause over the years, as it has criticism.
This week, the author and mum of seven (she has two step kids with partner Denim Cooke), has attracted a barrage of the latter.
She posted this photo that shows her, her freshly born son Raja, and his dad, Cooke, to Facebook, and people were not happy:
This is the essence of the backlash:
How dare Hall have her phone in her hand, chillaxing with a drink as if on vacay, and not be staring lovingly at her newborn son?
“Obviously googling parental advice,” is one example of the mean-spirited comments.
Others felt it necessary to provide feedback on Hall’s dietary choices, implying the question as to what kind of mother would ‘poison’ a child she was breastfeeding with a carbonated beverage – nay – a soft drink?
Look, we understand: if you’re not the subject of unsolicited advice and judgement, how do you even know you’re a mother? These trolls were just being…supportive.
Hall responded to the wave of negativity. In a follow up post, she said;
“Yesterday I posted a picture of myself on the phone the day my son was born. And of course it was followed by a few f***ers and their stuck up judgments about what I was doing on my phone instead of spending my every second doting and being the eternally grateful goddess mother.”
Making it clear that it wasn’t anyone’s business on what a mother does with her own children, Hall issued a caveat:
“If a child is being abused sexually, mentally, physically, or neglected, starved or not having their medical needs met. By ALL means, intervene. And when I say intervene I mean… Call the department of child protective services, do NOT b**** and moan on Facebook,” she said.
“And secondly YOUR children. They are your problem, how you raise them, what YOU’RE doing on your phone, what kind of a mother YOU are.
“And please don’t be concerned about me, I couldn’t care less about these comments. I’m on the beach, with 5 of my kids in the sun with the Dolphins at Monkey Mia.”
The Queen has spoken.
Top Comments
She really does divide opinion but she’s right, don’t assume you know everything from a tiny insight of a moment captured in a photo.
Another idea: She should tell people that it should be obvious from the photo that she was giving the child and its father to get to know each other. Do her critics really object to the father being involved from the start? Do they really think the child should only know the mother, and the father should be like some remote acquaintance that they keep around only because he has a job and brings in money for them? (Actually, I know some people who do think like that. They're not trying to help the child. Children do better if they have a variety of adults around helping them into the world.)