Over the past 2 years, Red Table Talk has established itself as a safe space for people to speak about a variety of topics—from marriage, to polyamory, to racism. This time around, hosts Jada Pinkett-Smith, Adrienne Banefield-Norris and Willow Smith are tackling the topic of mom-shaming.
Accompanied by virtual guest Ashley Graham, a model and first-time mom, the women get honest about people who make moms feel bad because of their parenting methods. “Have you ever been shamed by anybody that’s close you?,” Banefield-Norris posed to Graham. Her response was real—and heartbreaking.
“I’ve definitely been shamed by close family members,” Graham admitted. “They said, ‘I can’t believe he’s not sleep trained yet, what are you doing? Why are you ruining your life?'” If you’re a parent of a newborn, or know one, you know that sleep-training is getting a child to the point where they can sleep independently. I’ll be frank, it’s not an easy task, but that doesn’t stop people from adding their two cents.
It’s unfortunately rather common for mothers to have their parenting style criticized by those close to them. The clip shared that a study conducted by Mott Hospital revealed that a whopping 46% of mothers are shamed for the way their children sleep. We have to stop this culture of making moms think they are wrong for how they’re choosing to raise their babies and we’re overjoyed that Red Table Talk is leading the charge.
Watch the exclusive clip below and be sure to tune in for the full episode on Facebook Watch at 12 pm EST.