This Mom Says New-Age Parenting "Is Strange and Needs to Stop" — Sparks Fiery Debate on Social Media

Raising a kid isn’t for the faint of heart … but thanks to the internet, parenting in the digital age is a piece of cake — or so it seems. With access to hundreds of thousands of resources, parents may bite off more than they can chew.

Another one of the pitfalls that come with this new era of parenting is getting rid of the old ways of parenting. That said, could it be possible that society is in the wrong direction? That’s the question that’s taken over social media as of late, and it all started with a tweet … read for more on the debate.

Twitter user Christy Kelly (@Kelly4Humanity) challenged new-age parenting in a tweet that set social media ablaze. In a post that quickly gained traction on Black Twitter, Christy broke down what happened when she and her husband met their teenage daughter’s new boyfriend for the first time.

She described the tense interaction as an “introductory meeting,” a ritual that’s mandatory in most Black households. During said meeting, parents have the opportunity to probe, and Christy and her husband did exactly that when it came to this young man, in particular.

“My husband told the young man: ‘You can call me sir. I have four guns, my daughter's chastity is important, and you'll have to see me if you do anything to disturb that,’” she recalled. "He also told the kid he can get ‘dunked on any time.’ Basketball reference!”

She added that although she and her husband seem like “cool parents,” they’re actually “pretty traditional.”

Back in the good old days — whenever that was — it was OK to threaten your daughter’s boyfriend with murder upon meeting him. These days, things have changed and, according to Christy, it’s truly a shame.

“The new-age parenting is strange and frankly needs to stop,” she ended her tweet, which has nine million views and 8,000 retweets as of this writing.

While some applauded Christy for upholding her traditional values, others suggested that she and her husband's approach was outdated, disrespectful, and furthermore, misogynistic.

“And I say this with three extremely gorgeous daughters. I have no desire to intimidate the man/boy my daughter brings home,” @gabthegreat18 said. “I trust my own parenting enough to know that I equipped my daughters to make sound decisions and learn from their mistakes.”

Other users echoed his sentiment.

“If you have to say those things to him, [it] tells me that you and your husband don’t trust your daughter’s choices. So rather than telling her that, you threaten the boy instead,” user @sheabutterhun wrote.

And we see no lies …

After all, it wouldn’t be the first parenting rule that pays homage to the patriarchy. For young men, finding out about the birds and the bees is a triumphant feat. The same can’t be said for young women, as our first sex-ed conversation normally ends with “Don’t get pregnant.”

No matter what age of parenting you believe in, we can all agree that there are some traditions that should be left in the past.