‘They will hate it, it won’t feel natural’: Constance Hall is slammed online after the controversial mummy blogger says step-parents should NEVER discipline their partner’s kids
- Australian mummy blogger Constance Hall is known for her outspoken views
- She recently said step-parents should never discipline their partner’s kids
- Fans slammed the claim saying step-parents have every right to involvement
- Some urged Constance to remember how difficult it is to be a step-parent
Australian mummy blogger Constance Hall has been slammed for saying step-parents should never discipline their partner’s children.
The mother-of-seven, herself a step-parent who shares her blended brood with husband Denim Cooke, made the claim in a lengthy Facebook post on Thursday night.
The post, titled ‘Do’s and don’ts of step-parenting’, quickly racked up thousands of likes and streams of comments from social media users, the vast majority of whom took issue with her stance on discipline.
Australian mummy blogger Constance Hall (pictured) has come under fire for her stance on step-parenting
‘Don’t discipline someone else’s kid (toddlers and younger are different, they need it for their own safety. Dr Phil says if you come into their life after three, no to disciplining),’ Constance wrote.
‘They will hate it – it won’t feel natural or fair. The only reason a parent can discipline their child is because that child knows exactly how much their parent loves them.’
One mum replied that while she loves Constance and her content, her latest post is ‘step-parenting from one point of view’.
‘Agree with most of this, but not the discipline bit. Discipline is not a negative thing when done properly, and I think all kids thrive on it when it’s gentle and consistent,’ she wrote.
‘This is good advice but also don’t forget how hard it can be for a step-parent and it requires a lot of support and love from the bio parent. It can feel like a very thankless job sometimes,’ another user commented.
The mother-of-seven, a step-parent herself, shares her blended brood with husband Denim Cooke (left)
Someone else said they don’t agree, because ‘children need discipline and boundaries throughout most of their childhood’ and step-parents should be involved so long as their method of discipline is consistent with that of the biological parent.
But at least one fellow mum shared Constance’s view, saying she had learned from personal experience how discipline can be destructive to a child and step-parent relationship.
‘Step-parents need to be able to tell a child their that behaviour is not acceptable, however punishment or consequences need to be set and delivered by the biological parent,’ she said.
Constance replied to the deluge of comments two hours after her initial post, urging others to do ‘whatever works’ for them and saying parenting is an ‘each to their own’ role.
Constance (pictured with two of her children) believes step-parents should never discipline their step-kids after the age of three
‘I am not only speaking from personal experience but I have also interviewed one of the country’s leading psychologists on this matter and he agrees entirely with Dr Phil’s sentiments on it,’ she said.
‘In my opinion if my children were ever disrespectful towards Denim they would know very well that they would be in the s**t with me the minute I got home, so they never treat him in a way they wouldn’t treat me.
‘This post was written to the step-parent, not the parent. It was written to someone who thinks they should come in and start new rules and time outs etc, but if the biological parent has asked for that help then go for it! Discipline away! It’s just not the way we roll,’ she finished.
Most people agreed with Constance’s other opinions, including giving equal attention to biological and step-children, expecting to have a lifelong bond with your step-child and supporting your partner’s decisions.