Julia Mancuso is in some deep snow with fans after a video of her tossing her 1-year-old son into a massive pile of snow went viral.
In the clip, the retired US Olympic skier is seen gently tossing her toddler Sonny into a fresh snowbank and quickly pulling him out. The little tot seems to be loving it! He can be seen giggling and smiling throughout the video. However, a lot of parents — and parenting critics — thought the gag was more danger than it was worth!
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In the original post, Julia captioned the video with:
“Sonny loves the snow. Winter is coming! Who is excited?”
And then…
“I know this video makes some of you pretty nervous, but if you grow up in the snow- you know these days don’t come often so when they do you send it!”
What made her add that? Well, we’ll get to that. First check out the video for yourself:
When she first shared the video last month, the champion also added the disclaimer, “No children were harmed making this video.” Unfortunately, the warning didn’t stop the criticism. Many believed this seemingly fun activity was too dangerous — and frankly an example of poor parenting.
Here are just a few examples of people’s strongest reactions:
“Wow!!! I’d never do that to my kids or anyone’s kid!! Especially the shaking!! #badparenting”
“This is dangerous for a baby. U can never know what is under the snow. Be careful and don’t do this for baby”
“Poor baby. Sometimes laugh is combined with anxiety. He is too small to say what he really felt”
“This is HORRIBLE!! An infant/toddler/child is not a toy. The could have easily gone wrong. Why would you think this is ok to do. More disgusting that you did it for an instagram post. You need to take a child safety class and educate yourself. This is not entertaining”
“Who the fuck actually thinks that it’s okay to do that? every mother knows that it’s not okay to throw a baby nor pick a baby up like that!”
Some even went as far as to accuse Mancuso of child abuse, saying:
“What’s wrong with you lady? What if he got hurt as you threw him, can someone call CPS already.”
“Lady, you need help! You are sick in your mind! Someone need to save the video and call DCF on you”
“This is abuse this isn’t okay this is showing how abuse can be portrayed as a good act but it’s not this is what’s wrong with the world i am hurt i am in pain this isn’t okay”
The comments got so bad that the Just Be Yourself podcast host had to defend herself. She reposted the controversial video with a lengthy explanation of what happened, writing:
“Just wanted to share because I’ve gotten some messages that just really don’t understand this video. Sonny loved it- there was zero risk of something being buried in the snow since it happened over the course of a day on our patio- we literally watched the snow fall. We practiced – then we went for it! You really don’t get these conditions often and can only enjoy the fluffy softness the very next day- so yeah- I don’t think it’s a good idea to through your kid into any snow bank… but when it snows like this! It’s game on”
Many of her followers were quick to come to the gold medalist’s defense, saying that the hate and backlash was too much:
“I thought this was hysterical from first posting- from one lover and mom to another!! All the negative comments are ridiculous- you certainly would NEVER put your sweet Sonny at risk, in snow, on snow, in or on water. Anywhere for that matter!! You are a terrific mom and it’s most obvious you love and adore him. Have fun every minute- life just flies by as they grow up. And Merry Christmas”
“You are amazing and shouldn’t even have to explain this to the judgmental mom shaming people who have probably never even seen snow”
“He looks so happy!!!! Haters gonna hate! Don’t pay any attention to that!”
What do U think about the video? Are folks overstepping without knowing the score here? Or just showing an Olympic level of concern for the child’s well-being?? Sound OFF in the comments (below)!
[Image via Julia Mancuso/Instagram]
The post Former Ski Champ Defends Throwing Her Baby Into Snow Bank! appeared first on Perez Hilton.
