Elon Musk has reportedly fathered 12 children. Why are people so bothered?
Elon Musk has fathered a 12th child − and people online have passionate reactions about the news.
Musk had a third child with Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis, with whom he already has twins, earlier this year, according to Bloomberg, which first reported the news Friday. Musk also confirmed the child with Page Six while denying the birth was a secret.
Along with the twins and new addition he shares with Zilis, Musk also has three children with Grimes and six with his ex-wife, Canadian author Justine Wilson. Musk and Wilson's first-born child died at 10 weeks old.
Some on social media were none too happy to hear about the birth of Musk's latest child. "Why does he act like life is a Sims breeding challenge," one Reddit user wrote. "How can anyone be an active parent in the lives of 12 children?" wrote another.
But is this criticism necessary or even justified? Here's what experts have said to keep in mind before passing judgement on a parent.
Why do people care so much about Elon Musk's, other celebrities' families?
Musk isn't the only public figure whose nontraditional family life has sparked headlines. Nick Cannon famously had multiple babies with different women in a short period of time, which he said was "no accident." Clint Eastwood is also thought to have had eight known children with six different women, his daughter told The Sunday Times in 2011.
In his statement to Page Six, Musk denied keeping his new child a secret. "As for ‘secretly fathered,’ that is also false,” he said. “All our friends and family know. Failure to issue a press release, which would be bizarre, does not mean ‘secret.'” Walter Isaacson wrote in his biography "Elon Musk" that the CEO is concerned with population decline and sees childbearing as the solution.
The public's fixation on the families of people like Musk, Cannon and others is unsurprising to Donna Rockwell, a clinical psychologist and CEO and founder of "Already Famous." Any time a famous person behaves in a way that deviates from the norm, like having many children from different households, "we as the public hang onto every detail" and treat it as gossip, she previously told USA TODAY.
"The public loves to express their opinions, because it makes them feel like part of the story," she added. "When we see behavior outside the norm in the lives of celebrities, we shake our heads, pass judgments."
Should people be concerned about Nick Cannon's, Elon Musk's kids?
Musk and Cannon both keep their personal lives and routines as parents relatively private. Still, this hasn't stopped people from hurling criticism at both men, assuming a father of that many children couldn't possibly be fully present in each of their lives.
It's true being involved in your kids' lives is crucial: Studies have shown a child's emotional well-being is influenced by a secure relationship with their parents, as well as by the quality of that relationship. Barbara La Pointe, a relationship coach who primarily works with families dealing with divorce and separation, previously told USA TODAY not being fully present in your children's lives may "unconsciously create a legacy of generational trauma."
While raising children in separate households can have additional challenges, experts encourage people not to pass judgement, especially on those they don't even know. When previously asked about his emotional involvement as a father, Cannon has insisted "if I'm not physically in the same city with my kids, I'm talking to them before they go to school via FaceTime and stuff. And then when I am, I'm driving my kids to school, making sure I pick them up."
As Rockwell reminds, the reality of celebrity culture is that we only catch a glimpse of celebrities' personal lives. Without knowing the intimate details, we as outsiders will never truly know how worrisome – or how functional – Cannon's, Musk's or anybody else's family actually is.
Contributing: Jenna Ryu and Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY
