Parenting expert Jo Frost — who you may know better as the super nanny from the hit TV show by the same name — is turning her attention away from misbehaving kids and instead focusing on parents who have latched onto a problematic social media trend. And she’s not mincing words.
Frost posted a graphic on Instagram saying, “Stop scaring your children. ENOUGH! Dressing up like Grinch and then putting it on your social media! It’s disgusting!”
Because ICYMI: Videos of parents doing just that are going viral across social media platforms. We’d link to some here for context, but we don’t want to give them more views (nor get a scolding from the super nanny, who had strong points in her lengthy caption).
“What kind of a parent are you … No seriously? It is totally unacceptable,” she wrote. “Take your videos down now! … I’m appalled to see so many frightened little faces.”
“You find amusement in scaring the living daylight out of your young children just so you can gain likes or financial reward?” she continued before explaining that scared little kids will now have to hesitantly decide whether their caregiver is a “‘safe’ trusted parent.”
“Anything larger than life at this age can be overwhelming for a little one, even people like cute Santa, but to act rude, mean and horrible like the Grinch is just not okay,” she said.
And if her initial points didn’t put things into perspective, that really should. Think about how many kids are terrified of jolly ol’ Saint Nick — a figure of joy and light. Now, willingly exposing them to someone they likely see as a villain is just plain cruel. And for what?! Some engagement on social media?!
“Do better!” Frost continued. “It’s not cool at all. Your job is to bring the magic, not the madness”
Most followers were in total agreement. “Yes!!! It’s the saddest thing ever!!!” one person said. Another added, “Well said ????????”
And for those who were on the fence, it opened up an interesting conversation about when it’s “OK” to “scare” your kids. It’s a conversation that we hope Frost will eventually weigh in on too.
“Sometimes when my 11 year old is on the toilet, I hide behind the door and shout boo when he comes out …. That’s okay tho isn’t it? ???? he gets me back all the time!” one person wrote.
Others chimed in saying tweens are “much more capable” of regulating that momentary fear than the toddlers in these viral videos. “It’s totally fine as long as you dont film it for random strangers which some find as a kink number one,” another person added.
“But that’s a game, and your child understands it and does it back! It’s also you and not a costume! My daughter is 2.5y and understands hiding and saying boo too! But we never do it so she actually gets scared she just gets more surprised! And we would never post it or keep going if she gets sad or says that she’s scared!” one follower wrote.
Much like the Grinch videos, Frost’s post is quickly gaining traction. Now we just hope it means an end to this “prank” that, frankly, indicates a heart two sizes too small.
