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A photo of an “unconventional” baby milestone has gone viral for all the wrong reasons, with thousands chiming in online to claim modern parents have finally “gone too far.”
The viral image, shared to Instagram, shows a young baby celebrating his ‘first tooth’, sitting on a high chair surrounded by a lavish blue floral arrangement.
Hovering above the extravagant blooms was a custom sign proudly reading, ‘Jacob’s first tooth.”
Negin Mansouri, who runs the Sydney-based floral service that facilitated the event, told news.com.au that despite the unusual request, she believes all moments should be celebrated.
“Everyone’s opinion is different, but I do believe every moment, big or small, should be celebrated,” she said.
“A lot of my clients just want an excuse to celebrate their loved ones, and I think it’s heartwarming.
“At the end of the day, these parents just want to make their kids feel loved.
She added that she was “honored to help make this moment extra special for the parents.”
While Ms Mansouri agrees this particular milestone is a less conventional request than she’d typically receive, she said the fierce online outrage has been “surprising.”
The photo quickly migrated to X, where hundreds flocked to the comments to weigh in on the party.
“This is crazy,” one baffled user declared.
Another quickly added that “the Instagram moms have finally gone too far.”
Many argued that the rise of lavish events is putting unrealistic pressure on modern parents.
And that’s having real-world flow on effects, as seen in a recent poll of more than 5000 parents, which revealed the cost of childhood milestones has skyrocketed, showing that a quarter of parents spend up to $500 on a first birthday party, while some fork out even more.
“It’s a society where everything has to be perfectly documented for the gram, instead of just living,” one frustrated critic wrote.
“Kids are made for social media engagements now,” a third commented, with another agreeing that “everything is now for show.”
Some pointed out that spending large amounts of money on a lavish party for a baby who won’t remember it feels out-of-touch during the current cost-of-living crisis.
Despite this, many rushed to the comments to praise the parents for simply wanting to celebrate the little moments.
“What’s the issue?” one person chimed in, white another added, “Life is short, why not celebrate every moment?”
“This will be me when I become a mom,” another supportive user wrote.
“My family doesn’t celebrate anything so I honestly think it’s nice that some people celebrate everything,” said a third.
So what do you think: is it over the top to throw an elaborate party just because a baby grew a tooth, or is it an endearing way to cherish every milestone?
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