15 brilliant examples of parents fighting back against judgement

It's not just us ordinary folk who face unwanted comments about our parenting skills. The rich and famous get judged all the time on social media, usually by complete strangers. But they’re not taking it lying down. 

And why should they? As C&G baby club’s ‘Love Don’t Judge’ campaign says, parents should be celebrated and supported for doing the best for their family. And that’s just as true if they’re your neighbour or your fave soap star.

Here we celebrate some of the best examples of celebs standing up for themselves against the self-appointed ‘parent police’. We’re taking notes for the next time we face unhelpful comments!

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Mum-of-four Stacey has been on the receiving end of LOTS of judgement, including once being called a ‘baby with a baby’ after having eldest son Zachary when she was 17.

She says:

‘I know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of negativity and wish there was more love than judgement online.

‘It’s so important for parents to find out what works for them and their babies – it’s about trusting your instincts.’

Stacey is doing the ultimate push-back against unwanted comments by supporting the C&G baby club ‘Love, Don’t Judge’ campaign. Their message is simple: parents should be empowered, not criticised.

We couldn’t agree more!

With 289 million Instagram followers, it’s probably no surprise Kim Kardashian gets more than her fair share of unwanted comments.

Whether it’s for letting daughter North play with a smartphone or wear makeup, the judgements come thick and fast. But Kim defends herself every single time. 

After posting a photo of son Saint on Instagram, followers were quick to criticise what they thought was a dummy in his mouth. Kim’s response?

‘P.S. mom shamers it’s not a pacifier, he’s eating candy!’

This Morning star Holly Willoughby hasn’t escaped the online judgements either. She's previously been 'mum-shamed' online for having a night out without her three children. And while Holly didn’t respond, her fans were quick to defend her. One wrote:

‘Any mum is allowed a night off, it's not unheard of. Would you be saying this about her husband if he was on a night out?!?! Get a grip people. She’s just spending some time with her friend! Stop the mum shaming. You rule Holly!’

Yes!

Comedian Katherine Ryan wasn’t impressed when she faced criticism for potty training her then eight-month-old son. In her podcast Telling Everybody Everything she said:

‘Whatever, potty train your kids or don’t. Slag me off or don’t. I mean imagine if I gave a s***?’

Go Katherine!

Baby milestones – and when your little one hits them – is something parents often feel judged about. (Our Netmums poll found 29% of mums and dads had been on the receiving end of unwanted comments about their baby's progress.)

Former Love Island star Dani Dyer has experienced this first-hand. And she’s got some strong words for those judging her son Santiago. When asked on Instagram Stories about major milestones the then 11-month-old had reached she said:

‘Santi has only just started crawling ... he waves and claps his hands, but every baby is different. I had a few mums with the negative opinions on how their baby was crawling by 6 months.

‘And there is NO need to ever compare babies, they are all at their own pace.’

When actress and comedian Amy Schumer performed a stand-up gig just over two weeks after giving birth, there was a LOT of judgement online. One said, ‘I’m sorry. What?! Didn’t you birth a human like 5 minutes ago.’

But she dealt with the unfair comments in true Amy style, joking:

‘I’ve always wanted to be mom shamed!!!!’

Former Hollyoaks star Gemma Atkinson faced negative comments online after leaving daughter Mia with a relative and then going out for a walk. 

Responding to the criticism she said:

‘My midwife and health visitor advised me to take a walk if I could as it's good for mental health in new mums. Being a new mum can be a little overwhelming and you can never win with your choices. I've had the “how could you leave her so young” messages and also the “good for you for getting out” messages.’

Her baby isn’t even one yet, but This Morning star Dr Zoe Williams has faced a lot of judgement online. However she has a great response:

‘I think we live in a society where as soon as there's a baby involved people feel that they have a right [to get involved] …

‘Sometimes I comment, mostly I would say I ignore them. Sometimes I will reply if there's a reason to, it's quite rare but occasionally I will respond, but if someone's being abusive then I will delete them – life's too short.’

From what she feeds her children to how she dresses them, mum-of-three Chrissy Teigen gets a load of flack.

But she’s REALLY not taking it, and now tells people she doesn’t want their parenting advice or criticism.

In one post she shared a photo of her daughter in a nappy with a blue line visible. The line means there’s dampness but doesn’t always mean the nappy needs changing. Warning off her critics, Chrissy wrote: 

‘The diaper is never not blue so don't even start with me.’

When Khloe Kardashian was judged for working out after having baby True Thompson in 2018, she was quick to respond. In a Snapchat video she said:

 ‘Just because I have a baby, doesn’t mean I have to stop doing the things that I love, and I love working out and getting my mind right.’

Reality star Sam Faiers is no stranger to being criticised for her parenting style on social media. But Sam, who is pregnant with her third child, has asked her followers NOT to judge her. 

And she’s got a harsh (but fair!) response if they do.

Posting a photo on Instagram of her four-year-old and six-year-old sleeping in her bed, she wrote:

‘Don’t judge. It works for us and everyone is happy and sleeping well.’ 

And for those who don’t listen? In an earlier interview she said:

‘I just block and delete their comments. I don’t even let them have the satisfaction of having people arguing with them on my page, I just literally block it.’

Kim and Khloe aren’t the only Kardashians to face the ‘parent police’. Kourtney was criticised on Instagram after posting a photo of son Reign with long hair. When one of her followers wrote, ‘she really needs to cut his hair’, Kourtney replied:

“She really need to not worry about kids that aren’t her own. He is a happy boy. 🙏🏼”

When former X-Factor singer Jake Quickenden was criticised online for his parenting skills, he was quick to hit back.

Responding to the negative comments (posted after his mum shared a photo of grandson Leo taking his first steps while Jake was away), the star wrote:

‘There's one thing you can't question - the love I have for my family, the way I'll always try and put them first and yes, I do work away, and it hurts to work away, but I've got an amazing supportive partner who helps me in every way.’

A few years back, actress Megan Fox had harsh words for the strangers who judged her son for wearing a dress. In an interview she said:

‘I let my kids wear what they want. They will tell me what they are. It’s not my job to teach them that. I thought it was illegal, honestly, to shame a child or shame a mom for what a child wears in 2018.’

Former EastEnders star Joe says he faces judgement from strangers for his parenting skills. But his advice is that it’s OKAY not to get everything right. 

In an interview he said: ‘I’d say to any new parent out there that there’s no book to follow. You’re always doubting if you’re doing the right thing or not. But you’ve just got to sort of go with your gut.’

We couldn’t agree more Joe!