Ice-T & Coco Austin Slammed For Pushing Daughter, 6, In Stroller Now They’re Speaking Out
Raising children in the age of social media presents extra challenges both for parents and kids.
It's much easier for strangers to cast judgment on someone's parenting style when it's done anonymously online.
Celebrities face intense judgment online
Celebrities face an extra element of criticism when they choose to share their personal lives online, especially when it comes to their children.
Rapper and actor Ice-T and his wife Coco Austin have recently been dealing with online trolls coming for their parenting style.
The backlash started on an Instagram photo
The online backlash began when Coco Austin shared a photo on Instagram of the family posing for a mirror selfie at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas.
Commenters and trolls immediately drew attention to the couple's 6-year-old daughter Chanel.
Chanel, 6, is huddled in a push stroller
The family was exploring the resort on a trip to the Bahamas but people took issue with how the photo showed Chanel, 6, lounging in a stroller pushed by her parents.
The child sits cross-legged looking bored and admittedly a little bit large for the push stroller.
Comments focused on the stroller
The mom's caption on the post simply reads "A stroll through the @atlantisbahamas shops...Chanel is so over it unless there's something cool to see... Her face transitions instantly."
But the attention on the photo quickly focused on the stroller.
The photo was flooded with comments about Chanel in the stroller on multiple social media platforms
It didn't take long before both Coco Austin and Ice-T both took notice of the negative attention they were getting over Chanel being "too old" to ride in a stroller.
As the comments mounted across Twitter and Instagram they decided they had read enough and each issued a response.
Coco Austin called the backlash "ridiculous"
The parents brushed off the "story" about their daughter riding in a stroller calling it "ridiculous", especially in comparison to other tragic events that are taking over the news right now.
Coco Austin wrote a tweet calling out the critics who were fixated on the stroller story.
Ice-T also called out the family's critics on Twitter
Ice-T tweeted in response to CNN to voice his frustration with the negative attention, including a picture of yachts on the water.
It's clear the onslaught of comments bothered the parents enough that they felt the need to make a public statement.
Some parents supported the stroller strategy
On the flip side, some parents were understanding of the stroller strategy knowing that dragging a 6-year-old around on a tourism day can be exhausting for everyone involved.
Wagons are quite commonly used to transport older children— is a stroller really all that different?
It's not the first time that Ice-T and Coco Austin have faced backlash online
Fans debated the appropriateness of a stroller for a child Chanel's age causing a bit of a viral conversation around the topic.
It's also not the first time that Ice-T and Coco Austin have found themselves the subject of scrutiny in the media and public eye.
The parents received criticism after revealing that their 5-year-old daughter was still breastfeeding
Last year, the parents faced backlash after the rapper revealed that their daughter Chanel, then 5, was still occasionally breastfeeding.
Coco spoke with UsWeekly to clarify "Chanel still likes my boobs. It's a big bonding moment for a mother and your child."
The child also eats food but enjoys breastmilk as "a little snack every now and then"
The mom also explained that Chanel loves to eat real food like "steak and hamburgers" but that she "likes a little snack every now and then."
Austin added, "Why take that away from her? … If she doesn't want it, all right, that’s where you stop it. But I’m not just going to say no."
What do you think?
Is 6-years-old too old to be riding in a stroller? Or does it depend on the scenario and whether the child is able to walk for long distances?
It's easy for people to cast judgment from the outside when it comes to parenting techniques but it's much harder to actually be a parent at the moment.
