The mother who received criticism following a viral photo has spoken out, clearing the air.
You may remember last year when a photo went viral of a mother at the airport. In the photo, her infant daughter was laying on a blanket on the floor while the mom checked the phone.
The image quickly went viral online with numerous people criticizing her actions without any information.
After all, at a glance, it looks like the mom is just playing on her phone or relaxing and put her baby on the ground so she could get some relaxing time.
Just a few days ago, however, Molly Lensing, the mother in the photo, talked to TODAY Parents about the photo, what really happened and how it has affected her. She told the news outlet that the child in the picture is her youngest daughter, named Anastasia, who at the time was 2 months old.
The photo was taken in an airport in Colorado during 2016 while the mother and daughter were struggling to get back home after a visit with family. Lensing explained that the two ended up spending over 20 hours just sitting in airports. While that is annoying for anyone, it can be especially frustrating and exhausting with a 2-month-old.
“We had the unfortunate luck of being stuck in the middle of the Delta computer shut-down.”
Between delays and multiple re-bookings, the hours passed on and on.
Lensing pointed out to TODAY that not only did Anastasia need to stretch, but Lensing had to keep people in the loop.
“Anastasia had been held or in her carrier for many hours. My arms were tired. She needed to stretch. And I had to communicate with all the family members wondering where the heck we were.”
When put in perspective, laying your daughter on top of a clean blanket on an airport floor so she can stretch while you let your family know where you are seems perfectly reasonable. After all, any parent knows that a baby doesn’t want to be held for a full day straight – they need to wiggle a bit and be free.
Lensing thought that the adventure itself was stressful enough, but a few months later, the photo went viral.
It began with Lensing seeing the photo of her and Anastasia online. Once someone figured out who she was, she started receiving Facebook messages. While some parents supported her, many said she was a bad parent.
Lensing is a part-time pediatric nurse. She explained that:
“I absolutely feel as though my privacy was violated. I had recently started working on a labor floor, and I was terrified of my co-workers or boss seeing the photos and comments and believing I should no longer work with infants. Thankfully, this never happened.”
The fact that someone with a less understanding workplace could have lost their job from a viral photo like this – that doesn’t include critical information – puts the entire thing into perspective.
That should encourage others to stop criticizing other parents, but it likely won’t.
Today, Lensing usually doesn’t think about the pictures. When they appear online again, however, she can’t help but remember them.
“I ignore the photos and the comments and lean on those close to me who know the real me. I am powerless compared to the internet, and I know that I am the best momma to my girls and I know that I cherish them and am raising them the best I can.”
Based on the limited public activity on Lensing’s Facebook page, it certainly does seem like she is an excellent mom with a happy family.
This photo of her; her husband, Nick; and their three daughters from November 2016 definitely shows a smiling family filled with love.
Lensing also shared a more recent photo of the family with TODAY.
In this photo, Anastasia, who was just 2 months old at the time of the viral photo, is already a year old.
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