Mom feels ashamed when teen son tells her that her Instagram pic is 'inappropriate.'
When this mom is feeling judged, she asks Reddit:
'AITA for posting an 'inappropriate' post of my daughter and I?'
So I (F56) decided to get instagram and snapchat to connect with my kids Linda (F19) and Connor (M16) more. I'm still getting the hang of it, but Connor showed me how it worked. My husband Bill (M55) has no interest in any social media, as it's just not his thing.
Anyway, I hadn't posted yet, and I had taken a trip down to Cancun with Linda over her spring break, as we had talked about doing it after the lockdown was over. We took a lot of great photos, and for my first post, I figured it'd be extremely sweet if it was a photo of Linda and I at the beach.
We were both wearing bikinis for reference, because a day after the post, Connor told me that his friends who follow Linda were saying inappropriate things about us. Connor said it was gross seeing his mom and sister like that anyway and wanted me to take down the post.
Linda eventually took Connor's side after she found out, and she even admitted one of her friends' moms thought it was inappropriate of me to be exposing us near-nude like that.
I really had no bad intentions, and 'I've been crying for the past two hours. Bill's been neutral on the whole thing and has been trying to comfort me, but the kids are giving me the cold shoulder. AITA?
Let's see what Redditors had to say.
slipperysquirrel writes:
So I'd like to start by saying F**K the patriarchy. It's not a woman's job to dress so men don't get tingly. Your son is out of line and your daughter is buying into it. I'd take it down for her but I would have a conversation about this with her. NTA.
environmentalart7 writes:
Agreed NTA. Oh, and OP, if after two kids you have the confidence to embrace your body and rock a bikini, DO IT! I have 3 kids and only just started feeling comfortable in form-fitting swimwear again.
OP, I also suggest that you have a conversation with your son regarding his views on women and their clothing choices. It may be helpful to encourage him to think about his attitudes towards women and how they (his attitudes) influence his behaviour.
Similarly, I recommend having a talk with your daughter about why she feels the need to agree with her younger brother and why she feels ashamed or embarrassed about a photo of you and her in swimwear while on holiday.
glitteringbottle704 writes:
You can’t fix stupid. Your son’s teenage hormonal friends are going to give him a hard time because they get over exited by seeing some skin.
You are NTA for making and posting the picture, if beach wear were appropriate for public place it’s equally acceptable for online platform. However, you will be AH if you continue ignoring your kids discomfort and don’t remove the photo.