A mother in New York is facing backlash online after she claimed that she makes her sick child sleep outside due to her struggle with emetophobia.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, “Emetophobia is a mental health condition in which you experience an intense fear of vomiting, barfing or throwing up.” The mother cited this condition as the reason behind her decision involving her sick child.
In a video shared online, the mom showed her son lying on a small mattress in the driveway while he was sick. Next to him, his father was seen lying and gently stroking his back. She added text over the video that read, “POV: you have emetophobia, so your toddler’s stomach virus gets moved to the driveway.”
The mom quickly received backlash online after the video of her son sleeping outside went viral. Many people criticized her for how the situation appeared and for allowing the child to remain outside while sick. She later posted follow-up videos defending herself. In an update, she claimed that her son was the one who wanted to go outside, and that she agreed because of her severe emetophobia. She also said she provided pillows to make him more comfortable while he was outside.
The mom also said that both she and her partner stayed with their son the entire time while he was outside. She explained that after some time, she eventually allowed him to come back inside the house to rest. In another video, she responded to criticism by saying, “You guys are acting like I threw my son in a dumpster in a foreign place and ran away,” and insisted that she believed she made the best parenting decision in that situation. She continued posting multiple videos defending her original post and explaining her reasoning.
Viewers Outraged Following New York Mom’s Video
The video sparked reactions online. Many viewers expressed outrage over the situation, with many arguing that the New York mom’s emetophobia appeared to be the driving factor in her decision rather than the child’s preference. This led to widespread criticism online. One person wrote, “As someone with raging emetophobia, this is insane. Your kid should be in his own room in his own bed. I’d be the one outside if I really couldn’t deal with it.” Another said, “I never mom shame, but today is my first day. Get that poor baby inside.”
More viewers continued criticizing the mom’s actions, with many calling the decision unfair and selfish. One person wrote, “I feel like this is super selfish.” Another added, “I have emeteophobia and only one bathroom and I just suffer through it. I can’t imagine being sick with a stomach virus and having to go outside and lay on pavement.” Someone else commented sarcastically, “Hi, I’m in school to become a therapist. Let me know what times your child is available in the future and we can figure out a price.”
The videos shared by the mom led to even more backlash online, with many viewers criticizing her parenting and expressing strong disagreement with her decisions. The situation also sparked broader discussions about parental responsibility and the belief that children’s well-being should always come first.
