Mom hits back after a stranger calls her son dirty for playing in muddy puddles

A mother has hit back at criticism she’s received from other parents for letting her young son play in muddy puddles, explaining how she encourages him to “explore his surroundings”.

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Mom likes to let her son play in muddy puddles

A mother has hit back after a complete stranger called her son “filthy and disgusting” for playing in a muddy puddle.

Autumn, who regularly shares her Montessori parenting method online, overheard another parent make the rude remark in a parking lot as her little boy jumped in puddles.

Defending her approach to parenting, she says she’s more than happy to let little Luca keep playing however he wants regardless of the looks they might get, as she wants him to “fully explore his surroundings.” “.

Turning to TikTok, Autumn asked her followers if they’d ever faced peer review and, if so, how they would deal with it.

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She wrote: “We heard some comments from another caregiver at the park about how dirty all the other kids were (my kid included). I don’t mind him getting muddy and messy!

“If that’s not your style, that’s fine too. I was just shocked when this adult told an unrelated child how dirty and ‘gross’ they were.”

Autumn, who bears the username @more_than_montesorri, shared footage of little Luca enjoying himself to his heart’s content in a muddy puddle and made it clear that a few negative comments wouldn’t stop her from stopping him.

She continued, “Sometimes I get comments from other parents and carers because we are parents. Yes, we choose to encourage him to fully explore his surroundings. No, we don’t expect others to do things the same way!

“Stare, comment if you must, but I will continue to allow him to play in the puddles.”

Many people applauded Autumn for her open-minded approach to parenting, assuring her that she was doing a “great job” while cautioning against taking any judgmental comments to heart.

One agreeing person wrote: “Isn’t that why we have baths, showers and running water? Children are made to get dirty!”

Another applauded: “One of my favorite childhood memories is lying on the floor and looking at the puddle of water and how it reflected a rainbow that day.

“Now I can imagine what it must have been like for some adults, a child lying in the puddles. […] Kids have to be kids, I would hate to have a childhood where you can’t get messy or play in nature.”

Have you been criticized for your parenting practices? We pay for stories. Email us at julia.banim@reachplc.com