It’s been a tough week for Aussie model, presenter and mum Rachael Finch.
Public outrage has swamped the 27-year-old since her contentious interview with Sunday Style over the weekend, where Finch revealed that she and her husband Michael Miziner spend every weekend child free.
To allow the model and her husband to spend quality time together, two-year-old daughter Violet stays with Miziner’s mother, Irena, from Friday afternoon until Sunday morning. It’s something Finch says is “incredibly healthy for the relationship”.
Watch us discuss the hoopla on this week’s podcast of This Glorious Mess. (Post continues…)
But not everyone agreed.
The backlash to the model’s interview was swift and damning. Comments on her social media accounts stung in their ferocity, some labelling the star as lazy (“Don’t have kids if you aren’t prepared to be a mother”), others terribly personal and pointed (“a mother who radiates selfish behaviour”).
And so it went on. Finch’s basic capabilities as a mother were questioned, and her “maternal instincts” were doubted by mothers, fathers, talk show hosts and fans. So much so that last night, she fronted the scathing judgements head on.
Posting the kind of mother-daughter photo you see framed on bedside tables, Finch took aim at those who doubted her ability as a parent.
“A mother should never be made to feel they are not good enough for their child,” she told her 157,000 strong following, adding that she is doing “everything (she) can to keep (her daughter) safe, happy and loved.”
As for her critics? Finch says she is the one who knows what’s best for Violet, not strangers on the internet.
“Only the parents of a child truly know what is best and should always have faith in their decisions,” she continued, “I value dearly the relationship Violet has with her Grandmother and I believe this is one of the most important and influential relationships growing up.”
Echoing a sentiment that many working mothers will relate to, Finch concluded her career and her work is closely intertwined with her role as a mother and provider.
“I work hard so that I can provide the best future for the amazing soul we have created. I won’t ever stop believing in her or the strength of the family unit.”
In a social media age, it’s easy to feel like you’re not ‘parenting right’. Watch Mamamia staff reveal the moments they felt like bad mothers.
Top Comments
Firstly she doesn't have a 9-5 job so she probably spends a whole lot of time with her daughter. Secondly, she is a person first and a mother second. If she feels the need to spend some time apart from her daughter then she should. Motherhood doesn't mean you are chained to your children. And thirdly, what is better for her daughter - two parents who never spend any time alone and have a relationship that is suffering, or a loving couple that get to have time off with each other since without them, their daughter wouldn't be there.
as a very young grandmother I can't get enough of my granddaughters ~ why are women so hating on each other because one mother has this lovely support? My mother was like my son's other mother, and they've had a 38 year long relationship so far.. and haven't you ever heard that statement 'it takes a village to raise a child?' the haters are just jealous, surely. How wonderful that this child has a grandmother. These days with many women squeezing out one child around menopause, many children don't get to enjoy a lifelong relationship with grandparents. this is a gem. No child can have too many relationships with extended family or too much love. Sounds like they are all healthy and happy. what's the problem?