People have banded around to defend a mother who goes on "date nights" with her 12-year-old son.
Now there's nothing that gets the internet riled faster than seeing how other parents choose to raise their children and the latest perpetrator is none other than Melissa Ann Marie who took to Instagram to talk about how she spends time with her son.
In the video, the 31-year-old opened up about the fact that she was taking her young boy on monthly "dates" so that he knows how to treat a woman well when he's older.
“GRWM [Get ready with me] for a date with my boy," she captioned the video, which showed her curling her hair, before giving her followers a glimpse of what goes on during their time together.
“Basically you give them an allowance ($50) and they take you out on a date,” she continued, doubling down on the message in the video. “The idea is you are prepping them for how to take a girl out on a date in the future so they aren’t completely lost when the time comes. So you help them along the way with how to plan and execute a date and you teach them basic etiquette and manners."
She also rounded up the things her little one learned on the most recent date including opening the doors for his date, not walking ahead of them and how to get creative and thoughtful with not a lot of money to spend.
Opinions about the move were very mixed, with hundreds of people taking to the comments to leave their opinion on the matter.
"Kinda weird tbh," wrote one user while another added: "Why do we call it a date? It’s so nasty. Dating is for the purpose of marriage. It isn’t but sounds like grooming. Just say 'I give him $50 and he gets to take me to do something fun that he chooses.' Dating your kid. Yikes."
A third also commented: "She’s gonna get pi**ed when he grows up and starts dating other women instead of her."
However, not everyone was against the idea.
"Someone’s daughter is going to be very appreciative that you did this," this person wrote.
"Ugh, My heart. Good job mama," another praised.
And this user also added: "This is so smart! Props to you for taking the initiative because as females, we know that the world needs more masculine men for generations to come."
In an interview with TODAY, the mom hit back against the backlash, doubling down on the fact that this is a date and the use of that particular word is appropriate for the context.
"We are practicing for a date... I want to raise him to be respectful“ she said. "I’ve had my fair share of experiences with men ... I know what women want and look for in a partner."
Melissa added that those who don't understand why she introduced this monthly tradition must lack "healthy, open communication" with their children.
"A lot of people don’t know what it’s like to have a healthy, open communication system with a parent,” she told the outlet. "My son and I talk about everything."
The now-single mom has been on a total of five dates with her 12-year-old.
“We should be raising our boys to be strong men who respect women and treat them well,” she added. "If not me, then who is going to do it?"
Each to their own!
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