Deena Cortese’s Sweet Son CJ Teaches Friend How to Gently Pat His Dog After Medical Diagnosis

Growing up right before her eyes! Deena Cortese couldn’t help but be proud of her son, CJ Buckner, after he shared a sweet moment with a friend on January 11 — a few days after the Jersey Shore star revealed her toddler’s medical diagnosis. “So, I’ve been teaching CJ to ‘do nice’ to [their dog] Cali since he was a couple months old. Then after, we’d clap and say, ‘Good job!’” the 33-year-old captioned the sweet clip via Instagram on Wednesday, January 15.

Deena then went on to explain how she taught her son to be gentle while patting the pooch. “This past Saturday, my mother-in-law and her friend Francesca were watching CJ while mommy and daddy went out, and he started to teach Francesca how to ‘do nice’ to Cali. Then, clapped after when she did it,” she explained. “By far my favorite video of my little boy. Shows how sweet he is. #ProudMommy.”

Of course, people couldn’t help but gush over the adorable interaction in the comments section. One person wrote, “He is so smart and cute!!!” while another echoed, “That’s so precious! Babies do the cutest things!” A third person chimed in, writing, “That is the sweetest thing ever.”

One day prior, the brunette beauty — who shares her 12-month-old son with husband Chris Buckner — got candid about why her child doesn’t wear shoes when she posts pictures of him. “I’ve been getting a lot of messages about CJ’s feet, how he walks and other mothers ridiculing me for not putting shoes on him at one year old. Please, before messaging me telling me what I should do or asking and making comments about why he’s not wearing shoes … Maybe ask if you’ve already looked into what you see could be wrong because more than likely I have,” she began. “Anything you guys notice about my son, I most likely noticed it before anyone else. I just didn’t think it was necessary to let anyone know why his feet went the way they do or the reason he’s not wearing shoes. I appreciate the concerning messages but maybe come in asking and not telling — that doesn’t make a mother feel great.”

The MTV personality continued to talk about what CJ is going through. “CJ has Metatarsus Adductus and will be getting night braces to get it corrected,” she revealed. “He’s had since he was born, but we noticed it at 10 months when he started walking. “The doctor says it’s common, and we’ve been on top of it. Unfortunately, his right food has an extreme case, and he literally cannot get a shoe on. That is why CJ isn’t in shoes and just socks and booties.”

Luckily, her friends and followers had her back. “I’m sorry, Deena. You are an incredible mother. Always putting CJ first, and I know how hard this has been for you. How people choose to ‘voice their concern’ is a reflection on them. Not you. Keep being the amazing mom you are,” her costar Jenni “JWoww” Farley wrote. “The same thing happened to me, and they said that it’s OK and that kids that have this problem become good athletes! No worries,” another person wrote. “Tell them to worry about their own kids,” a third user commented.

Clearly, Deena cares about her tot so much, and it seems like he’s thriving!