A concerned woman who was seeking advice about a friend’s parenting style has sparked furious debate in the online world.
The woman (who did not reveal her name) posted a question on the Netmums online forum about a friend of hers who is having sex with her partner in the same room as her kids, aged eight and 10.
The woman who posed the question said she was “increasingly disturbed” by this situation, and wanted advice from fellow parents on whether she should speak up to her friend and tell her it was an issue.
The post explained that her friend and husband were in certain circumstances that have led to them all having to temporarily share the same room, and that the mother always tries to make sure her kids are asleep.
“My friend says it’s fine – they make sure the children are asleep,” she explained. “But I am not certain that you can be sure, or that they won’t wake up and lie there wondering what is happening.”
“She says it is no different to the third world countries where families all share one room, which I guess is true. However I feel really uncomfortable since I found this out because of the age of the kids.”
“Part of me feels I should say something. But I am a pretty chilled out person and never really get involved in judging what other people do. So the other part of me thinks that it is none of my business, and maybe something that is okay for some people.”
Major debate ensued with many parents quite divided over the topic. Some labelled it as child abuse, saying the children are too old, while others said everything has been blown out of proportion.
“Both their kids are way too old, not babies,” one woman said. “If one of these kids was to go into school and mention something to a teacher, social services may be contacted.”
In defence of the situation, one woman said: “In my own opinion there are worse things you can subject your child to. As previous people have said, I doubt very much they would have continued doing it if the kids woke up. They’d most likely stop.”
Another said: “I am sure they would be hidden under covers. Do all of your children believe babies are delivered by storks?”
What do you think?
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