Jamie Lynn Spears criticized for letting 10-year-old daughter use a shotgun: 'If that’s not redneck I don’t know what is'


Jamie Lynn Spears is being picked on after a photo of her tween daughter holding a shotgun was posted to Instagram.

The 27-year-old sister of Britney Spears and mother to Maddie Briann Aldridge, 10, and Ivey Joan Watson, 4 months, was deluged with critical comments after husband Jamie Watson shared the photo of his stepdaughter, captioning it, “Getting her ready for dove season.”

Getting her ready for dove season

A post shared by Jamie (@jamiewatson985) on Aug 5, 2018 at 6:58pm PDT

While many of the critiques have seemingly been flagged and removed from the post, people reportedly wrote, “A 10-year-old with a shotgun. If that’s not redneck I don’t know what is,” “You’re so irresponsible. Guns are not a toy,” and “Put down the gun, pick up a pair of binoculars & take a hike together. For me, teaching kids to kill when there is absolutely no need seems very, very wrong.”

Jamie Lynn’s admirers came out swinging: “Welcome to the South people. If you don’t like it, head out!” Some commented that hunting is a milestone: “Learning to hunt and to be able to provide food for your family is an awesome skill to have!!! Ignore all these haters and trolls!”

And a few offered context. “Seriously? People have been learning to hunt since the dawn of time. Men and woman. You guys are still eating meat, no? Same thing” and “There are celebrity children out here with cars, getting their nails done everyday and hair, and buying ripped up jeans for $5,000 and y’all are bitching about her hunting dove?? And using proper gun safety?!”

Jamie Lynn Spears, pictured with mom Lynne Spears and daughter Maddie Briann Aldridge, is catching heat for a photo of the girl holding a gun. (Photo: Getty Images)
Jamie Lynn Spears, pictured with mom Lynne Spears and daughter Maddie Briann Aldridge, is catching heat for a photo of the girl holding a gun. (Photo: Getty Images)

Jamie Lynn and Britney grew up in Kentwood, Louisiana where hunting wildlife is a popular activity and children who wish to hunt doves can receive their license at only age 16.

Last February, Maddie was in an ATV accident that left her critically injured. While riding a Polaris all-terrain vehicle in Tangipahoa Parish, it flipped over, throwing her into a pond and submerging her under water for several minutes. She became unconscious and was airlifted to a hospital, where she was treated for five days.

Later that year, Jamie Lynn reflected on nearly losing her daughter. “The hardest milestone me and my family have ever faced was almost losing our beautiful Maddie, but thanks to God and the two angels in this picture we were able to celebrate Maddie turning 9 years old all together,” she wrote on Instagram. “This milestone became a true miracle, and we are forever grateful for that.”

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