When it comes to parenting, you have to put yourself in your child's shoes to better understand how your decisions impact them. That's exactly what one mum has been trying to do - but she has faced backlash from her parents because of it.
The mum explained how her 11-year-old son expressed an interest in painting his nails - and not having a problem with this, she allowed him to do it. She said on Reddit: "We had fun picking out a colour - he loved it and we made a cute [social media] post about it."
But shortly after sharing her post, she received no end of messages and calls from her parents outraged about it. "[They said] he shouldn't have done it and I encouraged him because he would never ask to have that done," she added. "[They were] asking if I was going to let him out in public like that.
"I essentially said no - we're not doing any of that kind of talk. He's a child, and there is zero harm in letting him express himself in this way."
She claims she has had an 'inkling' about her son's sexual preference since he was little, basing it on how he interacts with others and his interests.
The mum said: "I love every single part of him and nothing would ever sway me from that.
"My parents, however, are not only not unconditionally supportive of their grandchild, but also seemingly believe that I am in some way forcing a homosexual agenda onto him.
"My husband is 100 per cent on my side and the side of loving our son for everything he is."
To protect her child and her own mental health, she decided to limit her contact with her parents - only speaking to them if it's necessary.
"My mum and I used to speak quite literally every day," she added. "I haven't stopped them from calling either of my children or interacting with them on social media.
"But I do monitor the phone calls and posts to make sure my son is OK and not exposed to negativity about his appearance or style choices.
"He doesn't know about any of this because I hope to preserve the relationship (he loves my parents so much) and I have hope they'll come around."
Commenting on her post, one user said: "You're a great parent. I'm glad that your son has you. It's your child, not your parents' and they will just have to deal with that."
Another user added: "Why do people do that? He's their grandson! They are supposed to adore him no matter what! Really, they are that upset over nail polish?"
A third user said: "Your parents will absolutely say hurtful things to your son. You need to protect him. Only supervised visits."
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