Another day, another story about parents getting into disagreements on the internet.
This story comes to us from a well-known parenting advice column that probably wasn't expecting a question regarding a "racist baby".
Of course, the internet had some thoughts about this letter and honestly, I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
You're tired, you're frustrated, and the baby won't. Stop. Crying. I get it. Heck, I've been there. It's perfectly normal to ask for advice.
It's a great way to get help and support. I'm in a few online parenting groups and they have been such a great resource.
It's basically like a "Dear Abby" column for millennial parents. Parents anonymously write in with their problems and writer Nicole Cliffe responds with advice and suggestions.
With what I'm sure was a very well-intentioned letter, one mom wrote in asking for help with her "racist" baby. Yes, you read that correctly.
"I’m a white parent with a white family, in a predominantly white area," wrote this parent.
The letter goes on to explain that this parent tries to have books with diverse characters and that they hope to move to a more diverse area one day.
According to this mom, she recently brought her four-month-old to a work party.
At the party, one of her co-worker's guests, who is black, offered to hold the baby. The baby began crying.
"I’m embarrassed and unsure if I should address the situation with my co-worker or pretend it didn’t happen. Any thoughts on how to handle my racist infant?" she wrote in the letter.
At four-months-old, babies are still on the repeat cycle of eating, sleeping, and pooping.
I don't think they have the capacity to be racist at this age.
As one Twitter user pointed out, it's normal for babies to be scared of strangers, or basically anyone who is not their mom or dad.
My son actually went through a phase where he was afraid of his own father and couldn't handle having both of us in the same room together. True story.
Babies. Cry. All. The. Time.
Well, not all the time, but since they can't really communicate it's hard to know exactly why they're crying. I swear, my son cried one time when I ate a Cheerio off his plate.
We've established that it is impossible for a baby to be racist, but perhaps the mom was projecting her own anxieties on the situation?
Hey, I'd watch that show. Weirdly, I don't think it would be the worst thing that TLC has produced in the last few years.
Yes, this was a real Newsweek cover that ran in 2009. I'm not sure who approved this, but I'm sure they'd rather forget that this ever ran.
Tbh, I think my jaw has been gaping this entire time. I'm still struggling to comprehend this "racist baby" scenario.
"I firmly and unreservedly forbid you from ever speaking or thinking about this utter nonevent ever again," she wrote.
This letter could have just as well said, "My baby just cried. What do I do?"
Unfortunately, this mom had to blow it way out of proportion. At least we got some laughs out of it though.
In all seriousness, this mom seems like she was trying to do the right thing initially so we really shouldn't judge too harshly. What do you think about this story?
