Hilary Duff Offended By Backlash Against Parenting Skills: 'You Have No Context'
Hilary Duff is maintaining her ground in the face of criticism for allowing her child to travel in the car for a brief journey without being buckled into her car seat.
In a recent interview with Romper, the mother of three addressed the situation, lashing back at critics who had "no context" when they came after her over an apparently hazardous video.
Shortly after the new year, social media exploded in outrage at Duff after her former co-star, actress Molly Bernard, shared a video of three-year-old Banks speaking to the camera while not properly strapped in.
There was this major scandal that came out because her buddy Molly [Bernard] was in the backseat of our car with Banks and she was not wearing her car seat, Hilary remembered.
"It's not like I'm driving on the 405 with my kids in the backseat without a car seat. You have no context. You don't know where I am," the star explained, referencing the Los Angeles freeway.
When the video was originally published, social media was scathing of the Younger actress, with many doubting her parenting and safety judgments.
"Why isn't she strapped in safely," one fan wrote at the time, while another hits at the actress with, "she's adorable but shouldn't she be in a booster seat?"
Children under the age of eight must be fastened in a car seat or booster seat in the rear seat under current California law.
Children who are eight years old or who have attained the height of 4'9' may be placed in a booster seat, but must be strapped in a safety belt at the very least.
At first glance, it seemed as though the little child was not wearing a seatbelt during the car journey, as the vehicle's safety gear was visible just behind Duff's daughter.
However, a photograph of Banks standing with Bernard reveals the belt's bottom half slung over her.
Many supporters, however, believed this was insufficient, as it was unclear whether she was seated in a booster chair.
Duff and husband Koma welcomed baby Banks Violet Bair in 2018, and the two also share 10-month-old Mae James Bair.
Additionally, the "With Love" singer has a nine-year-old son, Luca, from her former marriage to Mike Comrie.
The actress is now appearing on "How I Met Your Father," which was renewed for a second season on Tuesday morning.
The actress was photographed posing for a shot among some of her castmates, including Christopher Lowell and Francia Raisa, while they worked on the show.
She captioned the photo with a brief note that read in part, "You'll be seeing more great chapters in this love story because #HIMYF has been renewed for Season 2!"
"How I Met Your Father" is a spinoff of the massively successful comedy How I Met Your Mother, which aired from 2005 until 2014.