Woman slams mum in viral post for forcing daughter into 'FAKE' poolside photoshoot

1 July 2019, 12:05

A mother-of-six has criticised a woman for staging a string of social media snaps at a swimming pool, claiming they could make others "feel like a failure"

A woman has blasted a fellow mother on Facebook for forcing her young daughter into a "staged" poolside photoshoot.

Mother-of-six Jen Flint, 41, from Florida, branded the pictures "filtered and counterfeit" as she claimed the mother spent most of the day ignoring her daughter to play on her phone.

Worried the swimming pool snaps could make other "tired" mothers "feel like a failure", she called out the little girl's mum and reminded people that social media isn't always true representation of someone's life.

She wrote: "Yesterday while at the pool I watched a young Mama and her little daughter enter the pool area dressed in very nice coordinating swimming suits.

"The mom, with her perfect loose curls tied up in a coordinating scarf, spent the first few minutes talking loudly on her phone to a friend while her daughter stood waiting to get into the pool.

"Mom ended the phone call and proceeded to spread out pool toys and sunscreen on a matching towel."

She continued: "Then after finding just the right angle and the right light, Mama pulled out her tripod and took a few selfies with her daughter.

"Little One asked to get in the pool. Mama said wait and then posed her daughter in front the pool, then going in to the pool and then coming back out of the pool.

"Little one smiled big and said 'cheese' like she’d done it a million times. Then Mama told her she could play."

Jen, whose post has been shared over 130,000 times, explained the little girl asked her mum five times to "come play with me", but she ignored her requests and only acknowledged her when it was time to leave.

"Mama glanced over at her but never got off the phone. After 10 minutes Mama ended her call, collected the sunscreen that was never applied, the water toys that never touched the water, and then her daughter and left the pool.

"I sat there thinking about what I'd witnessed for awhile afterwards. I imagined the photos she took being perfectly edited and posted to social media with a caption like "Pool time with my girly! #Makingmemories".

She continued by admitting the whole event had got her thinking about the negative impact the photos could have on other mothers who might be struggling at home.

"Somewhere another Mama is going to be at home with her children, the house a mess from their play, her hair unruly from a day of mothering and her clothes dirty with spit up or peanut butter,’ she added. "She’s going to be tired because she’s spent her day cooking, caring, cleaning and playing with her children.

"She’s going to look at that photo and she is going to compare herself to the perfect Mama at the pool."

Jen finished the post: "She’s going to feel like a failure.

"She’ll never know that how she spent her time that day was so much better in God’s eyes and in her children’s eyes than that 'perfect Mama' at the pool.

"What we see on Social Media isn’t always real.

"Sometimes and often it’s a complete set-up. It’s staged and filtered and it’s counterfeit.

"Mamas, don't compare yourself. You ARE enough! You are amazing and the very best part is that you are REAL! Your dirty shirt and your messy house and your happy children are real and they are proof that you are doing it right!"