A mom is facing criticism after documenting a vacation that she went on with her husband and their newborn. People were up in arms after she admitted that she left her firstborn son at home. In a TikTok video, the mom named Georgia defended her decision, despite the harsh criticism and backlash she got from her original video,

The mom explained why she decided to go on the vacation without her first child.

In her first video, Georgia filmed a short clip of her, her husband, and their newborn son on vacation. “POV: You leave your first baby at home to take your second baby on their first holiday where it can be all about them and not their big sibling.”

In the caption of her video, Georgia admitted that she was hesitant to do this but eventually realized that it would be a good idea to make some one-on-one memories with her newborn without having to bring their toddler along. In a follow-up video, after receiving criticism from people who pointed out that her firstborn might think, especially as he grows older, that he wasn’t special enough compared to his younger brother to be a part of these memories. Georgia cleared up any confusion.

“I recently took my second baby on holiday and left my first baby at home and TikTok has gone mad about it,” Georgia began. “We decided when my baby was 3 months old to take him on his first ever holiday and leave his older brother at home.”

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She explained that on future holidays, both kids would be present.

Georgia insisted that she and her husband just wanted to make some core memories with their newborn, just as they did with their first baby after he was born. She claimed that many people were saying she’s playing favorites or that they just don’t have enough money to bring both kids, which were accusations she immediately shut down.

“As a second child, his life very much revolves around his brother’s schedule, so we wanted to give him something that was all about him,” she continued. “A lot of people are saying that our eldest son is gonna have abandonment issues and not speak to us when we’re older, which is absolutely crazy.”

She pointed out that her eldest son just turned 2 and was more than happy to stay behind with his grandma and aunt while they went on vacation. She admitted that while she and her husband felt guilty that they hadn’t brought him, they also felt guilty that their second child hadn’t received the same amount of attention that they gave to their first.

Since the video, Georgia said she and the family have been on other vacations where both the kids were present. She acknowledged that she understood where people’s frustrations came from, but she and her husband were simply choosing to do what worked best for their family, as they wanted to ensure they spent equal amounts of time with both of their kids.

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It’s important for parents to invest one-on-one time with each of their kids.

The best way for parents to build bonds with their kids is by making sure they’re spending actual time with them. While it may seem unconventional to some people that Georgia and her husband would just leave their firstborn at home to go on vacation with their second child, it’s clear that they’re simply trying to make long-lasting memories with each of their kids.

Keira Burton | Pexels

It’d be one thing if this were something they always did, or something they only did with their second-born and not their first, but Georgia pointed out that after her eldest son was born, this was something they did with him too. It’s a family tradition.

“Too often, we leave these one-on-ones until we need to repair emotional distance that has grown from some less-than-happy interchange. Leaving them solely for this purpose means you miss the chance to enjoy one-on-ones and employ them as preventive maintenance against that very trouble. It is money in the bank when your children trust that you have them in your heart and mind always, not just when they are in trouble,” explained education expert Kyle D. Pruett.

Considering people on the internet seemingly enjoy piling on without actually taking in the context, Georgia’s decisions were misinterpreted as neglect when in reality, it was the complete opposite. In the full picture she painted, she made it clear that both of her sons are loved equally, and are being raised with the same amount of attention and care.

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Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.