By Anisa Arsenault for The Bump

The world might be ending; people are actually trying to criticize David Beckham.

When the former soccer star’s daughter Harper, age four, was photographed with a pacifier (or a dummy, in UK lingo), the Daily Mail got critical.

“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,” reads the headline.

Yes, organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics warn against pacifier use and thumb sucking past age two, citing oral issues like teeth misalignment and a misshapen mouth. But Beckham, like all parents, explains that when your child’s not feeling well, you do what you gotta do.

“Why do people feel they have the right to criticize a parent about their own children without having any facts??” he writes on Instagram. “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…”

Bam. We’ll consider that a goal scored for parents everywhere.

If you do, however, find you need some help weaning your toddler off a pacifier, we have you covered. Experts suggest making the transition slowly, initially only allowing the paci during naps and at bedtime. Next, keep it strictly at nighttime. Before you know it, the dependence will have passed.