I’m a gypsy and yes I choose who my children can hang out with – trolls can hate me but they’re doing fine
A GYPSY woman has revealed that not only does she homeschool her children, but she also picks their friends too.
Heidi McDonagh Clee, an Irish traveller and mum-of-two, explained that she doesn’t want her little ones hanging around with children who could put them in danger, or damage their reputation.
Not only this, but she claimed that when her children, who are currently seven and eight, are teenagers, she will be even stricter.
Posting on social media, Heidi opened up about how she is raising her kids.
In response to a comment that read ‘I hope this isn’t taken the wrong way but how would you decide who she can and can’t be friends with and at what age’, Heidi replied and confirmed: “In all fairness, I'm kinda deciding now.”
Heidi revealed that although her children are homeschooled, she will make sure that they don’t hang around with kids that aren’t ‘good company’.
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She added: “Obviously my children are not in school now. They've been pulled out, they are homeschooled.
“But when they were in school, so my girl is seven and boy is eight, no children are doing anything really that they shouldn't be doing.
“Obviously, they're only babies, only playing on the playground. But other than that, they’re only babies.
“But when they become teenagers and when they get older, that's when I will start, me and my husband, we will start locking down and find out exactly who it is they’re mixing with. Both my daughter and my son.
“I believe in the saying that ‘if you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas’ and I'm not gonna have my children mixing with people that I don't think are very good company, because I don't want them to be picking up their habits. It's very simple.”
Heidi shared that particularly when her little ones are teenagers, she will be even more concerned, as she continued: “Whatever it is that is either going to damage your reputation or that is going to put them in literal danger, then, no.
"I will start locking down and being like, ‘no, you can't start mixing with them.’
“When they get to teenage years, I'll know who, I'll know when, I'll know what.”
HEIDI CLAPS BACK
Heidi then clapped back to any potential haters, as she concluded: “If you’re gonna come on to my comment section going ‘your kids are gonna hate you’, don't.
I believe in the saying that ‘if you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas’ and I'm not gonna have my children mixing with people that I don't think are very good company
Heidi McDonagh Clee
“Don't even go there. It's fine, honestly.
"Honestly, they're all right. Kids are doing all right.”
'SOUNDS LIKE GOOD PARENTING'
The TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @h.mccc, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly racked up 20,000 views in just one day.
Many social media users were keen to agree with Heidi’s way of parenting and many took to the comments to express this.
I don’t have any kids and I agree with you
TikTok user
One person said: “You’re doing the right thing!”
Another added: “100%! Mine are 11 and 8. Even now I'm like ‘who’s their parents’. You have to protect them!”
Differences between a gypsy and a traveller
Typically, Gypsies is a term used to describe Romani people, who migrated to Europe from India.
Meanwhile, traveller refers to a group of people who usually have either Irish, Scottish or English heritage.
While many English gypsy girls are allowed to drink alcohol and go on holiday with their friends before they get married, many Irish traveller girls are not allowed to do this.
Generally, both gypsies and travellers will share the same morals.
A third commented: “Sounds like good parenting to me!”
Whilst someone else claimed: “I see no problems.”
Meanwhile, another user explained: “I don’t have any kids and I agree with you.
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"I’m still having conversations with my mum about who I mix with.”
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