Everyone has different styles of parenting, and many fear the day their child comes home and tells them that they are being bullied at school. Some will put their kids in self-defense classes, such as judo, so that they know they can defend themselves when necessary. Nick Cannon said he has a different method: make sure the kids are the bullies, not the ones getting bullied.
Nick was a guest on the "We Playin Spades" podcast with one of his baby's mothers, Bre Tiesi, when he asked her when the last time she got her "a** whoooped" was. "Before I came here, by your child," she answered.
The couple shares Legendary Love Cannon, who will turn 4 next year. "He does like to throw hands," Nick said, calling him a "little fighter for real." Nick went on to share that he tells his son, "Do not hit girls, you can hit boys."
Tiese jumped in, saying, "That's not what he should be saying either," but Nick insisted, "Them other little boys be trying to test him, and he gotta throw hands ... Just don't put your hands on mama," he added.
Nick got some pushback, but he explained, "You gotta teach your child how to defend themselves." Which isn't that controversial a take. Many parents preach the method of don't hit first, but want their kids to defend themselves if needed.
He seemed surprised that Aminah Imani stood by her ground that she doesn't encourage or condone fighting. "I don't tell anybody how to raise their kids, but just at some point. The confidence in a man of knowing how to throw your hands is, it helps you in life," he said. Tiese then reminded him that their son "just turned 3."
The Drumline star continued, saying when his kids are around, he wants others to think "oh, them Cannons are coming, they're gonna f**k you up." Then came his most controversial take of all, "I'd rather raise a bully than my child to be bullied."
The Shade Room shared the clip on Instagram, and the comments were full of people thrown off by his stance. "Don’t raise a bully, raise your kid to know when to defend themselves," reads the top-liked comment. "Damn, why not just raise your kid to be kind, but also to stand up for themselves when need be?" "The problem is, these kids are not fighting anymore… they're killing now," others added.
Others slammed his parenting, adding, "He ain't doing any of the actual 'raising' so oh well." "Even with all the children he has, I wouldn’t take advice from this man on how to parent… but to each their own."
Nick famously welcomed 12 children, 11 of whom are still living with 6 different women. His oldest, Monroe, whom he shares with his ex-wife Mariah Carey, recently made headlines after she took to Instagram saying she only has 1 brother. "Clearing something up guys, i only have ONE brother who is @moroccan.cannon," she wrote. "I do have other half siblings from my dad but they are all many many years younger than me!"
So while we don't know if Monroe can throw hands, it's clear she can certainly use her voice.