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What is it about Kylie Jenner that gets us all riled up?
Is it the fact that she went to Coachella after baby Stormi was born? Or that, in her own words, she’s “not a regular mom” but a “cool man”? Is it her parenting style? Or are we just still picturing her as the mischievous teen we watched grow up on our television screens?
Since the very first episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians aired over 10 years ago, Kylie Jenner, although still young, has done quite a bit for herself (controversial “self-made billionaire” title aside), and this month she also turned 21.
So I’m going to go out on a limb here and defend Kylie like the ‘leave Britney alone’ guy from 2007 – the same year KUWTK launched – and ask so what is it about Kylie? It can’t possibly be that she’s too young, can it? This isn’t a teen pregnancy, she’s well on her way in her career and in her latest interview for Vogue Australia’s September issue, she also seems well beyond her years when it comes to her outlook on life and the way she hopes to raise Stormi.
For the latest Vogue Australia issue, her sister Kendall Jenner interviewed her and asked, "How has your life changed since becoming a mom?"
“I don’t think my life has changed since becoming a mom: I think the way I look at life has changed since becoming a mom. I think more of the future. I used to live each day as it came, and now I look at the future more,” Kylie replied.
The mom continued, elaborating on just how much baby Stormi has changed not only the way she looks at life, but the way she sees herself.
“I feel like having a daughter… has definitely changed me, and I feel like it has made me love myself more and accept everything about me. Even my ears, I always felt like they stuck out too far, and she [Stormi] has the same ears as me and so now I love my ears.
"It’s just having a different outlook on life so I can pass that on to her. What kind of example would I be if she said she didn’t like her ears, and then I didn’t like them either? I just want to teach her that.”
The new mom talks about self-love and acceptance in a way that we can’t help but admire, especially because we know how challenging it can be to love yourself sometimes, even before you have a baby and your body completely changes.
So instead of judging the new mom on every decision she makes, perhaps we could learn a thing or two from her new approach to things.
So she also talks about her decision to keep her pregnancy a secret, saying that she knew it would be best for her and her baby if they could just go through all the motions on their own. She knew that for Stormi to be calm and happy, she would have to be too, so it made sense to keep the pregnancy “low-key”, believing it was a “sacred special moment” she needed to experience on her own to truly enjoy.
So as someone who grew up in the public eye, and in the 21st century when your life can literally be your brand if you display it in the right way, on the right platform for the world to see, Kylie sure has made not only the best decision for herself, but dare I say, the most mature and responsible decision she possibly could have for her baby.
We don’t necessarily think it’s specifically Kylie’s parenting that makes the world shudder when she pierces her baby’s ears at 5 months (which is perfectly acceptable, mind you), but perhaps the infamous Kardashian/Jenner brand and the fact that we get flashbacks of a pole-dancing tween in the early seasons of KUWTK, every time we hear ‘Kylie’, ‘lip kits’ and ‘motherhood’ in the same sentence.
But as parents, is it really our place to judge and shame her for every parenting decision she makes, simply because her journey isn’t the same as ours?
She hasn’t even really given us cause to; in fact, she’s more grounded than many of us were at 21 years.
So here's an unpopular opinion for you: LEAVE. KYLIE. ALONE.
How did you feel as a first-time parent? Did you constantly feel like you were being judged and given unwarranted parenting advice? Tell us by emailing chatback@parent24.com and we may publish your comments.
Read more:
- Kylie Jenner had her 5-month-old’s ears pierced – and the internet isn’t happy
- Is Kim K wise to straighten 5-year-old North's hair?
- WATCH: Khloé Kardashian gives tips on what not to say to new moms
