Since becoming a mother, Isabel Roloff has been focusing on being a good parent.
In December 2021, she and Jacob had a baby boy. They are very careful not to make the same mistakes that Jacob’s parents did.
Part of that has meant hiding Mateo from the public. Some Little People, Big World fans don’t agree with how much they care about their son’s basic human rights.
It also means that there aren’t many pictures of the toddler. What makes this picture even better:
Isabel Roloff went on her Instagram Stories just a few days ago.
There, she posted a picture of Jacob Roloff with the words “zoo day” in the caption.
Mateo, who will be 15 months old by the end of the week, is sitting on Jacob’s shoulders.
Zoo trips are clearly a family favorite — for the trips themselves, and for these rare photos.
Mateo’s face is not any more visible now than it was for any of the previous pics. And that’s just the way that Jacob and Izzy want it.
He’s a toddler. His focus isn’t on achieving Instagram fame, and he has no grasp of what that could mean. Instead, the wee one was probably just really excited to view the animal exhibits.
Isabel doesn’t always have to include a screenshot of how far she’s walked that day to cover up pictures of Mateo.
This time, it was clear that he was showing a little too much for comfort.
It’s good that they respect him as a person. If Jacob’s parents had felt the same way when he was young, things could have been a lot better for him in many ways.
Remember that Isabel and Jacob aren’t just guessing what their son’s life might be like if they post his picture all over the internet.
Jackson, Mateo’s oldest cousin, was on that ship from the moment he was born. Zach and Tori were (and still are) stars of the show Little People, Big World.
Jacob stopped watching reality TV as soon as he was old enough to do so, which was when he turned 18. (Which is a great reminder that our country needs federal rules to protect minors from reality TV exploitation.)
That meant that he and Isabel, who were well-known because of Jacob’s childhood and family ties, could let Mateo start over.
It’s more than just not filming him for TLC or letting producers follow his young life.
Even Instagram photos could be used to harass people or make cruel comments, among other things. Not only that, but they would be a permanent record of his life that Mateo might grow up to dislike.