What was meant to be a “funny” video to share with their followers ended up becoming the worst public relations nightmare for songwriter Shane McAnally and his husband, Michael Baum.
The clip, which went viral for all the wrong reasons, shows their young son calling out for a “mom” who “doesn’t exist.”
In the video, the baby repeats the word “mama” while the parents laugh and tell him:
“No mama, only dad or pa.”
For much of the audience, this was seen as a display of a lack of empathy toward the “mother hunger” that, according to child development experts, children or babies from same-sex parent families may experience.
After the wave of insults and threats, McAnally broke his silence, insisting that the video was taken out of context and that they love their children deeply.
According to them, the child calls many things “mama” and they were simply joking about the situation. However, for thousands of parents on Instagram, mocking a child’s distress is a line that should never have been crossed.
The incident has reopened the controversy over the exposure of minors on social media and whether adults’ wishes are placed above children’s emotional needs.