A mother-of-four has caused a stir on TikTok after revealing she buys her two-year-old son his own coffee.
Mara, from the US, went viral last week when she posted a video titled “some things I do that others disagree with”.
In the 22-second clip, which has been viewed more than 4.6 million times, the Texas mom told viewers she lets her kids eat sand, play with marbles and go barefoot in public.
But what she gives her toddler to drink has struck a chord with many.
Footage of Mara’s son sipping an iced drink was captioned “Let my kids drink coffee.”
The admission caused outrage at TikTokers.
“I see so many parents speaking proudly about how they are raising their children,” one person wrote. “It’s none of my business, but coffee just ain’t good.”
“I agree with everything except the coffee,” said another. “You know it’s a stimulant. Just do not.”
“Coffee isn’t healthy for adults, let alone kids,” added another.
“I can’t even handle coffee,” said another.
Mom gives toddler coffee because it looks “cute”.
After drinking Flak online, the mother of four created another video to explain her toddler’s favorite beverage.
“He loves coffee!” she wrote. “It’s his favorite!”
In the 15-second clip, the family can be seen making their way through the driveway of a local coffee shop before Mara hands her son an iced drink.
“I don’t know why so many people are upset because I said Indy drinks coffee,” she says offscreen.
“I mean, don’t you drink coffee every day?”
She goes on to explain that they “went to the best place in town” that roasts their own beans to get their son a coconut latte.
“I mean, how can I tell him no to coffee?” she says in the video.
“Look how cute his little face is.”
Once again, Mara’s TikTok exploded with comments from concerned users.
“He may choose to drink coffee as an adult if he can rationally make his own decisions,” one person wrote. “He doesn’t know the effects of coffee to decide that.”
“Get hooked on him? Super sweet,” said another, while others claimed that caffeine inhibits brain development and growth.
But many quickly sided with Mara.
“It’s a myth that it’s bad for kids,” one person wrote.
“Big deal I grew up with coffee,” added another.
“It’s no worse than caffeine in soda,” pointed out another.
“Let their parents have their own child,” added another.
Should kids drink coffee?
“Coffee can actually help calm kids with ADHD,” said one Tiktok user.
The Australian Institute of Food Safety says more children are drinking real coffee than ever before, with 15 percent of teenagers and even a small percentage of two- to three-year-olds drinking coffee.
While there are no accepted health-based guideline values for caffeine, a study by Food Standards Australia New Zealand concluded that “there was evidence of increased anxiety among children who drink coffee.”
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