Toddlers having tantrums and acting out in public isn’t exactly new, but a video of one very famous toddler acting his age at an event over the weekend is causing quite a stir. Prince Louis, the 4-year-old son of Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (a.k.a. Kate Middleton), was caught on video shushing his mother and acting restless during Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebration. The footage of his chaotic antics has some people criticizing the royal family and urging parents to get “control” of their young kids in public
In a video shared on Twitter, Prince Louis can be seen forcefully covering his mother’s mouth as she tries to speak to him. He also shushes her, sticks out his tongue and makes a slapping motion in the air with his hand. Middleton keeps her cool, despite looking a bit frustrated. At one point, Prince Louis’s sister, Princess Charlotte, even tries to correct him, but he persists in wiggling around in his seat and making silly faces that plenty of parents of young kids probably recognize.
After being shared on Twitter, the video sparked backlash from people calling the young prince out of control and criticizing his parents’ response. Writes one person, “At what point do we go from, ‘Wow, what a relatable toddler moment’ to ‘Wow, you have no control over your children?'”
“Prince Louis of Cambridge isn’t so cute after all,” another person adds. “He’s a rude, disrespectful brat who needs to be taught manners! Prince William, what are you modeling for your son?”
Parents and caregivers of kids who are Prince Louis’s age quickly stepped in to stick up for the toddler and tell critics just how common and familiar the child’s behavior really is. “As a parent of a 4-year-old not in line to the throne: Prince Louis, we see you and we understand you,” writes Jen Psaki, the former Whitehouse Press Secretary.
“Amazing how few people on Twitter seem to have spent time with an energetic 4-year-old boy before,” another person writes. “Prince Louis’s behavior today was completely normal. Leave him be. He’s a literal child.”
Prince Louis is hardly the first 4-year-old to get bored or get an attitude with his mom during a public event. As the American Academy of Pediatrics explains, 4-year-olds can be bossy, energetic and out-of-bounds. They’re also working on developing their sense of independence and are sometimes demanding. One person on Twitter notes that Prince William even behaved similarly when he was around his son’s age.
Parent-shaming is common, whether it’s people judging moms for not breastfeeding during the formula shortage or people questioning how much screen time parents allow, even when we’re in the middle of a pandemic. Nearly two-thirds of moms say they’ve been shamed for their parenting skills, according to a poll by the University of Michigan. While the royal family may be more equipped than the average parent to handle public scrutiny, that still doesn’t make it OK.
It’s not realistic to think parents can control how their kids act 100% of the time, and harshly judging caregivers or young kids isn’t going to make the normal woes of toddlerhood magically disappear. Kids are people, too, even if they happen to be grumpy, rambunctious and often embarrassing in public. Prince Louis’s behavior is less an indictment of his parents’ skills than it is concrete proof that 4-year-olds are going to act like 4-year-olds, even when they’re hanging out with the literal queen of England.
