‘16 and Pregnant’ Star’s Post About 6-Year-Old Son Stirs Controversy

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Nikkole Paulun, star of MTV’s “16 and Pregnant” and mother of two, has created a firestorm with a Facebook post describing her monthly “dinner dates” with her 6-year-old son Lyle.

“He opens doors for me, pulls out my chair, talks about his day, and asks me how mine was,” she wrote on January 1. Paulun says that her son even pays the bill — including the tip — with the money he has earned by doing chores.

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“By doing this I am teaching him how to treat a lady and how to take her on a proper date,” she wrote. “How to show that he respects the woman he loves (right now that would be mommy).”

On the dates, Paulun and her son put away any cell phones and iPads so they can sit and talk to each other. “I’m teaching him proper table manners and that it’s rude to sit on your phone on a date with your mom or with anyone else,” she wrote. “He learns the value of money and how to manage it. He learns how to do math as we add up what we want and make sure we have 15% of it to leave for a tip.”

She added: “Yes, he is young, but I believe this is something he should learn now. It’s never too early to teach your child how to properly respect others, especially women. As a woman who has been abused and treated like crap in the past, it’s extremely important to me that I teach my son how to show respect. Too many men these days have no idea how to treat women or how to take them on a nice date. It’s nice to know my son won’t be one of them.”

The post (which is now deleted) has gone viral, with more than 2.7 million likes and 491,000 shares. The responses to Paulun have run the gamut, from commending her for teaching her son good manners — with several parents saying they also go on “dates” with their own children — to voicing their dislike of Paulun having her son spend his money on her.

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Chloe Henry wrote: “While this is a lovely idea, I don’t like the idea that you make your son spend money he earns by doing chores on taking you for dinner. I get the idea behind it, but it’s a little unfair to suggest that unless you make him do that then he’ll turn out to be a bad guy when it comes to women.”

Paulun responded to Henry’s comment, saying that Lyle enjoys paying for the bill. “I would never force him to do something he didn’t want to,” she wrote. “He prefers to spend his money doing something special with me than to spend money on toys.”

She added that she gives Lyle extra money to be able to take her out on their monthly dates, writing, “Having a special day just for us two is something he truly cherishes and looks forward to, as well as using his money to pay the bill.”

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Some didn’t like the fact that just because her son is male, he should be expected to pick up the check. “Why does the man always have to pay?” commented Kate Frost. “That’s not a healthy relationship.”

But many thought this was a great idea because it teaches table manners and the importance of family talking to one another at dinner, rather than being glued to their phones. Rikki Turner wrote: “I am very proud of your relationship with him. It is very important to teach him these lessons. He will make a woman very happy one day!”

Photos: Instagram/Nikkole Paulun


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