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Have you seen this unusual idea on Twitter recently?
The parents of a one year old boy created a life-size cardboard cut-out of his mom, so he can feel sense of security when she is not home.
"It’s hard because my one-year-old will cry as soon as his mom disappears from sight," dad Neji captioned his post. "As a counter-measure I experimented with what would happen if I set up a life-sized panel mother."
He says it works, because their boy doesn't seem to notice his mom is gone, for "about 20 minutes" a time, adding that this panel may be useful occasionally.
My own 2-year old son would probably not fall for this, because he likes singing along with me. He would also definitely call me and when I don't reply he would pull my skirt.
I don't even want to think of his reaction when he realises it's not me!
We asked other parents what they think about this, if they found it "creepy or clever" and would they do this to their children?
Here's what they said:
Nombuso
"Firstly I think this is creepy but most importantly, it creates a sense of fake security. I would never do this.
Why would I expose my child to such trauma? It's funny but in reality it's not a nice thing to make a child go through"
Jenny
"As a mom of two little ones, I know this would never work for me! My kids would immediately know the cutout wasn't real and would probably find it funny for about one minute.
Then they would go back to looking for me to ask for snacks or hugs or uppies. I'd also worry that it would give them nightmares or confuse them. Who wants a cold unresponsive mom?"
Xoliswa
"This is so much fun. I would do it as a test, hide in the house and watch my 4 year old trying to figure out what is going on.
If it works, I could use it for when I am going to be back soon. I wouldn't make it something I do for when I am gone for long"
Mark
"I think as a joke it's pretty funny, and I laughed when I read it. But I don't think that's a great idea for actual parenting.
The idea that your child is so dependent on you that you can't leave the room is something you should probably address directly".
Watch the video below:
Clever or creepy? Would you do this to your kid? Would it even work?
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