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Why the Kardashians Aren't Bad Moms

I'm Not a Fan of the Kardashians, but I Will Never Shame Them as Moms

For over 10 years, people have loved to hate the Kardashians. Ever since their reality show debuted in 2007 and they were catapulted to fame, everything from their fashion choices to lavish lifestyles to penchant for nudity gets met with intense criticism. You can't really go a day on the internet without people getting heated about something one of them has done, but nothing causes a controversy quite like the decisions they make as parents, and man, do people need to stop.

When you take away the glamour and fame, you both have an extremely important thing in common: you're mothers.

An unfortunate trend has developed where the only people who really defend their rights to make parenting decisions are fans of their show. This is problematic because it shouldn't matter whether or not you watch the show, buy their products, follow them on social media, or even keep up with them in the news. It's more important to recognize and accept the fact that people are allowed to parent their own children the way they want. It's fully possible to be supportive of another mom without having to subscribe to the Kardashian way of life, because when you take away the glamour and fame, you both have an extremely important thing in common: you're mothers.

In general, I'm fairly indifferent to the Kardashians. As a lover of all things pop culture, I'm aware of what's going on in their lives (if you don't know Kylie recently had a baby, you probably don't own a TV), mostly because it's pretty hard to escape. I don't watch the show, have never bought a Kardashian product, and would never follow them on any of their social media platforms. Still, even being removed from their culture of impassioned fans, it's unfathomable for me to criticize their decisions as parents.

I get that they're unconventional and lead lives that are different than 99 percent of Americans. Sure, their children's clothing costs more than what I earn in a year, they are often taking nude (or nearly nude) photographs of each other on their many exotic vacations, and they have the "gall" to give their kids hot dog sushi (which honestly looks really cute and I'd totally give it to my son if I had the patience to make it). They have personal chefs, large mansions, and throw each other insanely epic parties for every occasion. But that's just it — it's their choice. Just like some parents spank their kids, make them eat clean, or restrict screen time, the Kardashians do their own thing, and who are we to say they're wrong?

I'm very confident that there are neighbors of mine who, if given a platform of millions of fans, would also make decisions that get people in a tizzy. Heck, I'm sure my opinions and actions as a parent would also get people riled up. Some people just like to get mad at anyone who parents differently than they do, but newsflash: there's no right way to parent. And if we go back to the golden rule of if we can't say anything nice then we shouldn't say anything at all, the world would be a lot kinder. Because if you look at all of their flashy Instagrams, you'll see really happy, smiley kids who are constantly surrounded by family. It's obvious they're loved and being taken care of, and that's all that should matter.

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