Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson mom-shamed after sharing video of her infant daughter's 'first flip'
Olympian Shawn Johnson, 28, has hit out at trolls who criticized her for posting a harmless video of her helping her infant daughter perform her "first flip" while they were holidaying on a beach in Miami.
Johnson, who won four medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a 16-year-old, gave birth to daughter Drew Hazel October 29 via c-section and has since been posting regular updates on her social media profile about what life is now like with a child.
Most of those posts had to do with her showing off Drew in cute outfits and had social media oohing and aahing, but it seems her latest one has irked some.
Johnson and husband Andrew East were visiting Miami for the Super Bowl last weekend and decided to hit the beaches to cool off. There, the mom decided she would have the infant take her first steps in following her mom and perform a flip.
In a video posted on her Instagram page, she can be seen sitting in the sand while holding her daughter around her waist. Then, she slowly lifts her and turns her upside down before helping her complete a 360 turn.
Aware that some might feel she was pushing it too far with such a young baby, she wrote, "Roo’s first flip!! @drewhazeleast (she was PERFECTLY safe... so don’t even haha)"
But that didn't stop one particular commentator from calling into question the Olympian's parenting skills and seemed to suggest Drew was not dressed properly for the occasion.
"While she may have been perfectly safe, sometimes you are a bit rough handling such a young baby, and not making her warm enough when you take her out," the user wrote. "She needs at least socks if not shoes, as well, and hats."
Johnson immediately hit back at her and wrote, "Are you holding her? Have you physically felt her sweat when she wears socks? Or felt her strength when she stands? Or seen her fuss until she stands up because she hates laying down. Nope. You haven't. I'm her mama. I know."
The comment seemed to have annoyed the 28-year-old who addressed it again in a lengthy video that she posted on her Instagram stories and asked people not to shame women for how they handle their children.
"Mom shaming is a real thing," she said. "A real, real thing. And I don't understand it. All of us mamas are doing the best that we can. We’re trying, we’re crying, we’re pushing our way through it, so you guys should celebrate all of the mamas out there."
"If you have advice, try to say it in a very kind way because, let’s be real, none of us know what in the heck we’re doing and we’re all just trying to figure it out. Be kind," she added.