David Beckham's Response

[GrooveArmada]

The family feud has had a number of dedicated threads already, this is not a repeat.

I want to focus on DB's today's response, available here: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jan/20/children-make-mistakes-david-beckham-brooklyn-post

"Children make mistakes" - I find it incredibly offensive and gaslighting. His son is a 26 year old adult man. A husband. He isn't talking about a 5 year old in Reception here.

I think his PR advised him to put children into his response to seemingly soften it, but I think he's very undermining to Brooklyn and this language smacks of being controlling.

AIBU?

I don't think it will damage anything to own his parenting mistakes. If anything, it humanises him because there's no such things as a parent who doesn't make mistakes. It could be a positive for him. That said, I think the best thing would be for DB to try to handle such matters in private with his son rather than play it all out in public.

Good parenting doesn't always mean having to agree with your children's opinions btw. You can respect their right to hold them and validate their feelings without necessarily agreeing with it. You also don't need to agree that things your kids think were parenting mistake were mistakes. You can validate how they feel but it doesn't mean you have to think you were wrong.

@Lych333I don’t agree with you. The other post had it bang on. Not least as DB hasn’t in fact given a ‘statement’ on Brooklyn directly. Rather he was answering questions about children using social media, 12 hours after his family had been savaged by one of sons. I dare say he wasn’t feeling great but managed to give a measured response to what were in the context tricky questions.
I don’t put as much store in this Brand Beckham, Victoria as Machiavellian stuff either. I see a family who when they first became one were hounded by the press. In those days it was common to try and manage photo calls etc to avoid being hounded by the paps. Princess Di used to do it. ‘You can have three pics of us in Hyde park if you then leave us alone ‘ sort of thing. This was probably what they were advised, what worked and what they then did to protect access to their family. If they have controlled images etc throughout then isn’t that what most celebrities do? I think they are being judged harshly on some of these things. But I don’t know them or Brooklyn and it’s just my opinion.

What he should have said is- “I am probably not the best person to give advice on this subject. Like all parents I am aware that keeping children safe online is very hard. We all make parenting mistakes so work and support for parents in this are would be hugely welcome. “

Not - let’s just leave children to make mistakes on social media whilst belittling and dismissing the pain his eldest child clearly feels. In case DB isn’t aware mistakes online for vulnerable children can lead to abuse and death- in the real world.

That would be an odd response from him. Sometimes our kids f*ck up in spite of all the talks, education, support, etc, in the world. It's part of learning. In the end, they make their own choices.

I think the issues his kids face with social media are different from most of us average people though. We're not in the public eye in the same way.

This is a general comment from me rather than in response to the specific situation.

And so do parents f*k up, as they clearly have.

I wouldn’t dismiss my child’s deep pain and obvious grievances like that in private let alone publicly. It’s so dismissive and patronising, it gave a telling glimpse of Beckham parenting.

Humans fk up. Kids and parents.

I think we come from a different point in the discussion though. You think that the statement included reference to the situation with his son. I see it as a completely independent and unrelated statement. So far I don't think they've made a direct statement about it, which is probably for the best. I think it's best parenting to respond to him privately.

Either way the statement was arrogant,dismissive and belittling- to parents and vulnerable children navigating a dangerous online world and re his own children the parenting of which he was drawing from to give misplaced advice.

In the context of the timing with his son's statement, I do think he should have left off the part about his own kids. It should be obvious some people are going to make a connection, even if this statement was drafted last week, before any of it happened.

I think it's a mistake, personally, to let kids grow up with such a public lens on them. I think also that some celebrities earlier in social media times weren't as aware of the issues as they are now. Hence we see celebrities more inclined to hide their children these days. I mean - some celebrities have children we don't even know the gender or name of now. That never used to be the case in my memory.

He hasn’t dismissed his child’s feelings in public, and as BB has declared, very publicly, that he isn’t going to speak to his parents (as evidenced by the lawyers letter) they are going out of their way to try NOT to cause BB any further pain, by continuing to decline talking about it publicly.

Instead, DB has used his platform to declare, when asked, that children make mistakes, and should be allowed to.

If he had been asked about parenting mistakes, I’m sure he would have agreed that everyone makes mistakes, even parents.

I think that DB is holding it together in a remarkably measured and dignified way…

Couldn’t disagree more. Dignified! I think not. They were discussing social media. Saying children should be allowed to make mistakes online is hugely irresponsible and exudes privilege. In the real world leaving children to make mistakes online leads to dire consequences. Adults making mistakes online which he clearly is guilty of given the detrimental impact his farming out of his children has had also can have serious consequences for children.

@Lych333 well, everyone is likely to have a different opinion on it.

I respect yours, but will stick with mine until I see or hear anything that changes my mind. It must be difficult being so in the public eye - for all of them…

Agree. But there are some around who can't fathom that a parent having trouble with a child isn't the devil incarnate or simply human. Projecting most likely. I think DB and VB silence on the matter of their son so far is dignified and sensible and shows some good judgement. I don't believe DB's statement on social media had anything to do with this son's post and might have been a response curated well before his son's post. That said, I do think it would have been foreseeable that he shouldn't mention his kids, because people love to connect dots.

Far from it. Everybody will have trouble with their children. How one handles that trouble however is hugely important.

And again his comment re social media and letting children make mistakes was ignorant and massively misguided.

There are degrees of trouble though, aren't there?

I agree I wouldn't let my children make mistakes on social media, if I could help it and knew about it. I'd intervene. The ramifications are too potentially serious. However, a 26 year old who has married and left home - any mistakes are their own. (Not specially referring to BB or the situation specifically).

This is naive. Anything you see in the press slagging off BB is planted by the Beckhams.

And his wife has a billionaire activist investor dad so wasn't part of a family brand growing up and probably finds the whole setup unacceptable but what billionaire's daughter wouldn't? I can't see a reunion with his family happening unless his marriage breaks down in the future.

You can always switch the phone off, people like DB could promote that message instead of telling the paps when they will be coming out of the gym in LA and going for an expensive smoothie? Of course if people switched their social media off DB and co. would cease to exist, so they are probably not going to be doing this any time soon.

😆 🤣 😂

Latest VB hurt she did so much to protect him screams classic narc to me. The poor lad
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@Lych333 I don't think dB is very bright so he probably doesn't understand the nuances

He is bright enough to milk the celebrity obsessed masses, in this culture that is bright like a lighthouse in a field of sheep.

Footballer first he isn't an influencer from scratch . People have made a lot of money around him

To be fair your posts don’t suggest you’re the sharpest knife either.

@Allisnotlost1 probably but what's standing out to you ?

@Itcantbetrue Calling someone you know nothing about a ‘narc’ (instant red flag for me) and someone else you don’t know not very bright.