Two weeks into fatherhood and Andy Cohen is already having to face the inevitable wrath of the judgmental parent police.
Ever since adding "dad" to his list of roles, the Bravo host has been learning one of the toughest lessons of parenthood: how to deal with unsolicited criticism.
Since his son Benjamin Allen's arrival via surrogate on February 4, Cohen has been chastised for not setting up the crib properly, for letting his dog chew up the baby's stuffed toy, and more recently, for boarding a plane with the newborn.
The latest dad-shaming campaign against the Watch What Happens Live host started when he posted a photo of himself on a private plane, wearing baby Ben in a carrier.
"Digging the #DadGear!!!" Cohen, who has been very open about his fatherhood journey, wrote in the caption on social media.
As soon as the photo went live, people were quick to share their opinion on Cohen and Ben's plane ride.
Many pointed out that not only is he wearing the baby wrong, he shouldn't even be flying with a newborn in the first place.
"Did u really just take the baby on a plane?" asked one Twitter user. "Did u check with a Dr. first? #parenting101"
One supposed parenting expert let Cohen know that "flying for a newborn is seriously not cool," while another warned him that little Ben could get an ear infection from all the pressure changes.
One sarcastic critic even asked Cohen if he's "ever heard of driving."
Despite the flood of negative comments, there were many people who came to the proud papa's defense.
"I was on a commercial plane at 16hrs old and am still kicking ass at life," recalled one fan. "Keep bonding with your son on land, in the air, everywhere! You got this and will keep being a great father at this rate! #mazel"
Others reminded the dad-shamers that they shouldn't interfere in someone else's parenting.
"[Andy] did not ask any busybodies for their instructions. His kid, his business. Also, he was in a private plane so no public cooties. And as long as baby's little head isn't flip flopping around, there's no reason not to hold him in the carrier. Really myob [mind your own business] folks!"
Of course, there are concerns when flying with a child, especially a days-old newborn, however, these are issues that a parent usually addresses to their child's pediatrician beforehand.
The bottom line is that whatever decision Cohen made is between him and his son's medical team, so it is no one else's place to offer advice or criticize.
Cohen has not responded to the latest fiasco, but after the toy controversy, he asked people to "stand down" and reminded them that he's only "been a dad for 12 days."
