Entertainment

Peggy Criticized Meghan’s Parenting On ‘Real Housewives’ & Fans Can’t Believe She Went There

by Marenah Dobin
Bravo

The drama really amped up in Iceland during The Real Housewives of Orange County cast trip. It got so intense in the Nov. 6 episode that Peggy Sulahian left early. Peggy criticized Meghan Edmonds as a mother on RHOC, when she pointed out in front of the entire group that Meghan's baby Aspen was "crying for 10 minutes" alone. Clearly the pressure got to her, but Peggy didn't seem to realize how offensive she was being.

As a mother of three herself, Peggy should have some sensitivity talking to a new mother about her child, but that was not the case here. Tamra Judge came to Meghan's defense by saying, "she's doing a timing thing." She even screamed "She's training her baby!" in her "This is my opinion!" voice. Peggy did not seem to grasp why every other person in the group was defending Meghan, who was crying her eyes out.

After such an explosive episode, it made sense to check Meghan's Twitter account to see her public reaction to Peggy's mommy-shaming. Unfortunately she didn't tweet anything about that (yet), but she did "like" a tweet mentioning the Ferber Method. An article from Parenting Science breaks down the training concept. According to the site, the Ferber Method involves parents leaving their children alone for intervals that are timed. They are not supposed to go to their babies, even if they fuss and cry. Theoretically, the children learn to sooth themselves.

Peggy obviously wasn't aware of this, but actually seemed to believe that Meghan was neglecting her child to drink with her friends. But Meghan and her cousin/babysitter Bridget knew exactly what they were doing by letting Aspen cry it out. They were simply training Aspen to modify her behavior. As a mother, it's her choice how she wants to raise her child.

To play devil's advocate, instead of just writing off Peggy as being insensitive, let's say that Peggy was genuinely concerned about baby Aspen. Why didn't Peggy say anything to Meghan, the nanny, or any of the other women on the night Aspen was supposedly crying for 10 minutes? Let's say she wanted to give Meghan some time to resolve the situation on her own. Then why did she call out Meghan in front of the entire cast in an antagonistic manner?

Even if Peggy didn't take the time to reflect on her insensitivity, the viewers sure did and they had no qualms sharing their thoughts on Twitter. Here's how they reacted to Peggy's attacks:

It Was Totally Off-Topic

If Peggy really wanted to resolve an issue with the women — she thought they'd been laughing at her the previous night — why would she bury the lede and bring up Meghan's baby crying? How does she not understand that doing so insinuates that Meghan is making mistakes as a mother rather than addresses their own interpersonal problems?

It Was Out Of Line

Whether Peggy intended to take a show at Meghan or not, what she said was definitely insulting and very personal.

If Peggy Was So Concerned About Aspen, Why Didn't She Step In?

Why bring up that she is worried about Aspen the next morning instead of trying to help the baby that night? It doesn't seem very genuine to say that she was worried about the baby at that point.

It Was Ignorant

This was a parenting decision of Meghan's, not Peggy's, and she should trust that it was made with lots of forethought.

It Was Hypocritical

Peggy definitely owes Meghan an apology after putting her on blast like that.

It Could Have Been A Misunderstanding

Peggy's assumption was that no one was aware that Aspen was crying, but babies cry pretty much all the time. Maybe Bridget couldn't get to her right away, even if it was time for a feeding or a change.

Obviously it's easy to take a side on this as an outsider watching the show, since the viewers get to see many sides of the same situation. That trip seemed like a pressure cooker. The women probably had jet lag. It had to be confusing to be in a place where the sun is out almost all day. But shaming a mother for her child-rearing choices is a low blow, and RHOC viewers aren't going to let Peggy off the hook for this one.