Woman Pregnant With First Baby Shares ‘Controversial’ Choices She’ll Make

A Gen Z woman has been praised for sharing six ‘controversial’ choices she is going to make when her baby boy arrives.

Vice Media Group research says that Gen Z parents describe themselves as open-minded, laid-back and empathetic. Yet Berkley Feinauer, 25, (@berkfeinauer), told Newsweek that she is “traditional and old school when it comes to parenting.”

In the lengthy video, which she refers to as “controversial” in the caption, Feinauer, who is 29 weeks pregnant, outlines several points regarding her son’s upbringing. She mentions the TV shows he won’t watch; emphasizes a healthy, balanced diet; allows freedom in choosing sports; enforces a curfew; and expresses her desire for him to know how to stand up for himself if bullying ever becomes an issue.

Feinauer adds that she will not endorse the idea of her son being transgender: “My son is a boy and will remain a boy.”

The boutique owner, who lives in Kansas, told Newsweek: “Somehow, nowadays there are an infinite number of genders. I see a lot of people online talking about ‘not assigning a gender to their child until they are old enough to decide for themself.’

“I don’t understand what needs to be ‘decided.’ My son is a boy (medically speaking). Children are not capable of making a lifelong decision to change their gender, or take hormone supplements, etc. Young boys associating themselves with ‘girl toys’ or ‘girl clothes’ is pretty common,” Feinauer added.

“Just because a little boy likes dolls, doesn’t mean he is a girl. I think parents push the issue of gender on children when I believe we should just let them be themselves and whomever they choose to be; we accept them and love them regardless.”

During the clip, Feinauer says she will not let her son watch Ms. Rachel or Blippi on YouTube and will be putting on cartoons like SpongeBob SquarePants instead.

Feinauer told Newsweek: “I feel like mom-shaming over television in general has become a big issue. Too much screen time; you’re a bad mom. TV shows that aren’t educational; bad mom.

“I used Blippi as an example because I don’t personally want my son’s role models to be grown men acting like children,” Feinauer added.

“I am fairly traditional about gender roles so, under my roof, I won’t allow Blippi to represent a grown man acting the way he does in front of my son.”

Feinauer said that she doesn’t judge other parents for their choices, adding: “I don’t care how other people to choose to live their lives; this is specifically for my family.”

The other choices include knowing the child’s whereabouts; ensuring a well-balanced diet; and teaching them to stand up to bullies.

“I feel the most passionate about the topic of health and my child learning the importance of a balanced diet and exercise early on in their life,” Feinauer added. “My parents weren’t very educated on the topic of nutrition, and I struggled a lot with food and my body. I was always in sports so, thankfully, I never suffered from obesity, but I’ve seen how childhood obesity can cause problems, not just physically, but emotionally/mentally.

“Balance is so important and learning how to fuel their body properly can only lead to a happier, healthier life,” Feinauer said.

The Vice Media Group study said that Gen Z parents aim to learn from their childhood experiences to create a different relationship with their own children. While they respect their parents’ efforts, only 47 percent of them emulate their parents’ parenting style. Instead, they often see their parents’ behaviors as examples of what to avoid.

The survey of 7,518 young parents aged 20 to 24 also revealed Gen Z parents overwhelmingly believe that trust, rather than discipline, is the most-effective strategy for protecting their children from external dangers.

At the time of writing, Feinauer’s video has over 62,000 views and more than 320 comments.

One user wrote: “Girl you and I are on the same page with EVERYTHING!!!!”

“I can’t wait to see if any of this changes as you actually do it. I watch Moana on a constant loop, she loves it and it calms her down. I didn’t choose that,” posted another.

A third commenter added: “90s style parenting coming back. I love it.”

Feinauer added: “My son is going to be loved regardless of the shows he watches, the sports he plays, or the gender he chooses to love. In my opinion, that is the most important thing, regardless of our opinions as parents.”

If you have a family dilemma, let us know via [email protected]. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.