A woman divulged that she was mom-shamed for dressing up better than her children. However, she clapped back at the naysayers, and others praised her for her response.
A Facebook user named Caitlin Fladager revealed on her page that people have commented on how she dresses and how she dresses her two children.
According to Fladager, she has no issue with what type of clothes her children wear because they are still young and often outgrow their clothes, unlike her.
“‘Your kids only wear clothes from Walmart, while you get dressed up a lot. Not a good look for you as a mom,’ that statement is something I get a lot,” the mother of two penned on Facebook in July 2020.
Fladager admitted that she does purchase her kids’ clothes from Walmart while she buys herself clothes at other stores, and explained:
“You know why? Because I am not constantly outgrowing them like my kids are.”
She does not often spill food and dirt over brand-new clothes, run around outside in the dirt, tripping and ripping holes in the clothes, changing her mind every day about what color she does not want to wear again. “I am not a kid,” said Fladager.
The attentive parent shared that her son and daughter are “messy” and loves their Walmart clothes. She buys them cheaper clothes to avoid being the kind of parent who yells at them for spilling food on their new clothes.
Fladager wants to be a mother who does not care whether they play in the dirt and ruin their new outfits. “I strive to be the mom who teaches them there is more to life than having nice, expensive clothes,” she expressed.
Along with the post, Fladager shared a picture of her son and daughter having ice cream and explained they were wearing clothes she had recently bought.
“Here’s them covered in dirt, spilling ice cream, and living their best life. That’s all I could ever want,” she wrote. Fladager refuses to feel guilty for buying her kids’ clothes from Walmart because looking at the photo reminded her of why she does shop their outfits there.
It makes her happier seeing her children covered in dirt while smiling than a picture of the duo dressed in clothes they do not like that they would eventually outgrow in a week.
After sharing her post online, Fladager’s Facebook followers flooded the comments section in reaction to what she has been facing as a parent. Many people were on her side.
“It’s no one’s business! They are in clean clothes, well-loved, and fed. Period,” one social media user commented. Another penned, “HAHAHA!! Caitlin Fladager KUDOS TO YOU! Let those haters hate! You’ve got more “mom sense” than they do! Let them throw their hard-earned money away on ridiculous, overpriced kids’ clothing!” Someone else said, “So ridiculous that people even have an opinion on your children’s clothing. Great post.” alongside a heart emoji.
Fladager and her husband have also been criticized for showing affection in front of their kids. She posted a video of the couple kissing in front of their son and daughter in December 2023.
Fladager explained that she and the father of her children not only kiss in front of their kids, but they also disagree and apologize to each other in front of them. “If you don’t show your kids a healthy relationship, then who will? It starts within the walls of your home,” she captioned her Instagram post.
Some of her followers agreed with her and commented. “Children do need to see healthy relationship on all parts,” said one individual. While another wrote, “Kids need a good example of a healthy relationship, in my opinion. It makes it easier in adulthood.”
Fladager’s kids are often featured on her social media. In May 2021, she posted a photo of the then-six- and eight-year-olds on Facebook and revealed she gave them a “mental health day.”
She had arranged for them to skip school for a few days and informed their teachers. Fladager booked a lake house and divulged that she allowed her kids to do whatever they wanted during the time away.
She made it a point to agree to everything they wanted to do, including eating snacks that she often said no to, using their Nintendo switches to a restaurant, staying past their bedtime, sitting by the fire, and dancing around.
Fladager rubbed her kids’ backs for as long as they wanted and let them color in their rooms. She noticed they became happier, excited, and playful by saying “yes” to whatever they asked. Fladager realized that just as adults sometimes need some break, so do kids.