‘People never think before they open their mouths’: This Reddit mom’s perfect response to entitled parenting advice

We’ve all had those moments when someone says something so outrageous you don’t know whether to laugh, cry, or just walk away. For one Reddit mom on r/traumatizeThemBack, her morning took a sharp left when an older woman decided to give her unsolicited comments on her perceived parenting choices.

Entitlement at its finest

This mom, our OP, (original poster) trying to be proactive, showed up early to urgent care to beat the crowd. She struck up a polite conversation with another early bird, an older woman who started chatting about the recent snow. Which was harmless enough, until the older woman pivoted to ask about her other children. 

When told there weren’t any, she went full throttle into “entitled advice mode,” accusing the mom of being selfish for not giving her son siblings. The cherry on top? A rant about how her child would grow up spoiled and socially awkward.

But this Reddit mom had the perfect response, and it was as graceful as it was devastating. She calmly explained that she’d undergone an emergency hysterectomy after her son’s birth due to a uterine rupture. An experience she surely didn’t owe anyone an explanation for but provided anyway. The older woman went dead silent. Turned right back around without another word. 

Clapback: 1 Entitlement: 0

This is common

As a fellow mom who lives in the South with an only child, let me tell you, this story hit close to home. It’s not just about the unnecessary judgment at every turn, it’s about the assumptions people feel entitled to make about your life and choices. Comments like, “Oh, you’re not giving them a sibling? How selfish!” are just the tip of the iceberg.

When my child was still an infant, I once had a random older lady at a store ask to hold my baby without even saying hello to me first. Mind you, this woman was a total stranger. Standing outside. Smoking. I politely declined, and instead of understanding, she scoffed and went off about how parents these days are too selfish, overprotective, and entitled. 

I mean, what was I supposed to do, hand my baby over and hope for the best? Not happening. My baby was so small at the time, I hadn’t even had visitors yet. Not to mention, I’m allergic to tobacco and even standing there was giving me a reaction.

These moments might seem trivial, but they add up. They’re a reflection of a broader issue, the way society feels entitled to dictate parenting choices, especially to mothers. Whether it’s about how many kids you have, how you feed them, or even how you dress them, there’s always someone ready to chime in with a hot take no one asked for.

The verdict

What I love about this Reddit mom’s story is that she didn’t just silently endure the judgment. She responded with a level of grace and honesty that shut the critic down without escalating the situation. It’s a reminder that, as moms, we’re allowed to stand up for ourselves, even when the critique comes wrapped in a façade of “concern.”

To this Reddit mom, thank you for the reminder that we don’t owe anyone an explanation for our choices. And to everyone else? Think before you speak. You never know the story behind someone’s decisions, and honestly, it’s none of your business anyway.