David Beckham Fires Back At Critics of His Parenting Skills: 'You Have No Right To Criticise Me'

In what could be described as something completely out of character for the football star, David Beckham responded to detractors and blasted a media outlet following the publication of an article that criticize his parenting skills. Taking his fury and disappointment to social media, the husband of Victoria Beckham slammed a reporter for allegedly failing to gather pertinent details first before writing a story about his family.

"Why do people feel they have the right to criticize a parent about their own children without having any facts ??" asked the Manchester United star in his Instagram account. He added, "Everybody who has children knows that when they aren't feeling well or have a fever you do what comforts them best and most of the time it's a pacifier so those who criticize think twice about what you say about other people's children because actually you have no right to criticize me as a parent."

The social media post was accompanied by a screen shot of the disputed Daily Mail article, titled "Why does Harper, four, still use a dummy? Experts warn David and Victoria Beckham's little girl may end up with 'speech or dental issues' if she continues to use one." The shot showed Beckham with his 4-year-old daughter, Harper, out in the streets of West Hollywood. The latter is seen sucking on a pacifier as her father looked at her fondly.

The Daily Mail cited Clare Byam-Cook, a former midwife, as the article's expert. According to Cook, Harper's use of a "dummy" (pacifier) could damage the 4-year-old's teeth. In addition to this, Harper could suffer from poor speech development. She then went on to say, "David and Victoria seem wonderful parents and I'm sure they give Harper lots of attention but, like it or not, they are role models and lots of people will see this and think that having a dummy at this age is normal when it is not."

While the sentiments of Cook are confirmed by Healthy Children Organization, Beckham's explanation puts the issue in a completely different light. However, it pays to be vigilant when it comes to the health and well-being of kids. According to the organization, the effects mentioned by Cook in the Daily Mail story could pose a problem especially in the development of the shape of a child's mouth. The site further shared that this habit could pose problems to the child when he or she reaches adulthood as orthodontic treatment may then be necessary to treat the issue.