A divisive decision? After Coco Austin offered a glimpse at her day out with her family — social media users were quick to question the outing.
“A stroll through the @atlantisbahamas shops… Chanel is so over it unless theres something cool to see .. Her face transitions instantly,” Austin, 43, captioned a photo of the trio via Instagram on Sunday, May 22.
Some followers took to the comments section to ask why Austin and Ice-T‘s 6-year-old daughter, Chanel, was sitting in a stroller. “I know she may be your last baby but you have to let her grow up. If anything a wagon is more her age! I have a 6 year old smaller than her and she hasn’t been in a stroller in years 😂 I would hate for your sweet baby to get bullied or something,” one fan wrote.
A second commentator questioned why the California native was not letting her little one “grow up” by walking around at the mall.
Other people, however, came to the model’s defense, arguing that using a stroller helps parents during trips with their kids. “It is much easier to push a child in a stroller than to carry them around when they get tired. Especially when they are her age, it is harder to carry them alllll over the place,” a social media user replied at the time. “She is not having a melt down because she is too tired & that is a very good thing.”
Another fan pointed out that the situation wasn’t a big deal, writing, “You going to pick her up when she gets tired? Its not like she has a bottle and a pacifier. Relax.”
Austin and Ice-T, 64, who tied the knot in 2005, have previously made headlines after trolls slammed their parenting on social media.
In September 2021, Austin sparked a discussion after she showed off her daughter’s acrylic nails for picture day at school. “For the special occasion, I let Chanel do mini tips to her nails. I love doing her hair. My little doll baby is what I call her,” the dancer captioned the Instagram post.
At the time, Austin admitted that she was struggling with Chanel starting kindergarten. “This is a bittersweet day for me!” the actress wrote. “I guess because Chanel won’t be with me every single breathing moment. She is my backbone and I feel empty without her. I knew this day would eventually come where she would start Kindergarten! Yeah, I was that mother that cried an hour after dropping her off in the car (and am still crying throughout the day).”
Following backlash, Austin’s husband opened up about dealing with criticism online. “Rule one on the internet: Do not pay attention to anything anyone says on the internet,” the Law & Order: SVU star said during an appearance on The View in October 2021. “Worry about the people that walk up to you and say things in your real life. Those are the people you should be concerned with. The internet is the world. It’s the world talking, so I don’t pay attention.”
The New Jersey native noted that “everybody parents differently” when it comes to raising their child.
