Young mum, 25, sparks debate after laughing when she saw her toddler paint the house

A young Australian mother got the shock of her life on Wednesday when her toddler used red paint to ‘redecorate’ her home – but parents are divided over her reaction to the ‘scene of the crime’.

Indy Clinton, 25, who lives with her husband and one-year-old son Navy in Sydney, took to TikTok on Thursday with a startling video of her young boy covered in red paint, which he had pasted over the white doors, floorboards and a coffee table.

‘You are kidding me,’ she said as she entered the room. ‘Navy stop. No stop,’ she continued as he almost slipped on the paint while trying to walk away.

‘Note to self, don’t brush your teeth while chatting to your husband and taking selfies, just don’t do it, learn from me. Because somewhere in the house your toddler is f***ing it up when you think they’re playing innocently with toys,’ she later posted to Instagram with the time stamp 8.47am.

Indy, who believes in a gentle parenting technique and who has previously said would never ‘physically discipline’ her children, managed to clean the stained surfaces off but didn’t show on camera how Navy was reprimanded.

Her followers were concerned her son wouldn’t learn that what had happened was inappropriate.

‘That’s where I draw the line,’ one woman said.

‘Personally I wouldn’t let that slide,’ said another.

A third added: ‘He thinks it’s funny because you are laughing. I don’t think he knows right from wrong because you always laugh’.

Another said: ‘I’m all for gentle parenting but kids have to know right from wrong’.

Others defended Indy’s parenting style, saying yelling wouldn’t help fix the problem.

‘He’s literally one, I don’t think yelling at him would help,’ one person wrote back.

‘These comments aren’t it. Was she supposed to execute them on sight?? Maybe a long talk and consequences were had after and off camera???’ Said another.

Currently pregnant with her second child – a girl – Indy has spoken before about what she would ‘never do’ when it comes to parenting her little ones. 

‘Let’s address the elephant in the room: discipline. I will never physically discipline my children ever. I was brought up with physical discipline – with a belt and a wooden spoon – and I just don’t think that’s the right way to discipline your children,’ she started.

‘I get back in the day they did it at schools and it was the thing to do but I’m speaking from first-hand experience and I know that it doesn’t make a situation any better. 

‘If anything it will give them life-long trauma. If you do that it’s your choice but your child is defenceless. I see comments all the time on my posts saying ‘you need to smack him’ but that says more about you… I would actually be embarrassed writing that because it says you have some underlying problems you need to address.’

Indy has gained a large following on social media for sharing her ‘real’ parenting moments with Navy, who she describes as her ‘crazy toddler’.

The second ‘rule’ she won’t be following involves getting children to kiss and cuddle their older relatives. 

‘If he doesn’t want to kiss and hug somebody he doesn’t have to. I don’t care if it’s family he does not have to do it. I want people to know and respect his choices – its his body, his rules,’ she said.

‘I remember when I was younger and my parents would have dinner parties they would make me kiss everyone around the dinner table goodnight. I would think I don’t know you and your whiskers are scratching my nose.’

Despite having a sponsorship deal with Hello Fresh and frequently uploading photos of her favourite cook ups and meals, Indy said she won’t be forcing Navy and her unborn daughter to eat certain foods. 

‘I will never force him to eat anything he doesn’t want to eat. Obviously I’m going to guide him to try foods he hasn’t had before but I’m not going to blackmail him like ‘if you don’t finish what’s on your plate you don’t get dessert,” she said.

‘If he doesn’t like a certain food or meal I’ve made I’m not going to be offended. I’ll say ‘you don’t have to eat it, what do you want to eat instead?’

‘Obviously I’m not going to feed him chocolate but I’m not going to force him to eat something he doesn’t like.’

The young mum will also not be asking her son to cough up on rent as he grows up. 

‘I will never make him pay rent. I understand why families do make their children pay rent, it teaches them good like habits, but I brought this child into the world so I’m not going to make them pay rent at 15,’ she said.

‘When you’re 18 and finished school and have a job or going to university than maybe I’d get him to pay $50 a week but that’s not for me… that will be to go towards buying his own house.

‘You brought that child into the world so you do not need to give them money stress.’

Finally, after growing up in what she described as a ‘strict’ household, Indy has decided to be lenient when it comes to curfews and late night parties. 

‘I don’t want to be a strict parent when it comes to parties and curfews because I want him to be completely open with me. The stricter you are the more rebellious the kids are, it’s just a fact,’ she said.

‘I was brought up in the strictest family ever and being the youngest of five I feel like I was always the baby… I want to be the mum that he feels comfortable calling first if he needs anything, at any time, and I’ll be there in my pyjamas with some chicken nuggets.’

Many of Indy’s followers were in agreement with her parenting decisions, labelling her ‘mum goals’, but not everyone saw the merit in her relaxed style.

‘My mother makes us pay rent because there are seven of us but we only started paying rent at 18,’ one woman said.

‘I agree with everything except the rent paying. For my parenting anyway. I believe it helps teach them how to function and how to budget etc,’ said another.

A third added: ‘Your kids are going to be the most spoiled.’