Parents Share 30 Absurd And Funny Everyday Things Kids Overcomplicate For No Reason At All
It's no secret that being a parent is difficult, but that's often just a nice way of describing what the arguably hardest pill to swallow in raising children is — they make everything more challenging.
Forget moving or changing jobs, even if we're talking about basic chores like vacuuming the house and going to the store — our obligations simply demand more effort when we factor in an extra pair of arms and legs we need to constantly be aware of.
However, for whatever reason, many still refuse to accept this universal truth. So a few days ago, writer Lucy Huber tweeted her frustrations about it.
Image credits: clhubes
Huber's, let's call it, rant — I hope she doesn't mind the word — instantly resonated with parents, and it went viral, but the best part is that her tweets also inspired moms and dads to share all the ways their kids overcomplicate everyday life, normalizing the conversation about the reality of it. After all, we can cover our eyes and say whatever words we want, but the issue will remain.
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I used one for my handicapped son who was a runner, he didnt respond to his name etc, after he took off towards a grocery parking lot once. Terrifying. You wouldn't believe the looks you get from people as though its child abuse to put a teddy bear backpack leash on a runner! I couldn't care less what other people think of me, they could spend their time chasing their brats and giving me the stink eye xD
My sibling was a runner, and many a family outing was disrupted when he'd just up and disappear again. No amount of punishing, training, teaching, or practicing changed him, either. He was just without fear, and would be gone within seconds, and we'd find him later on the other side of a busy street, or chatting with a random stranger -- and giving them all of our personal information, no less, because he was proud that he'd memorized our address and phone number. If my mom had had a leash for him back then, maybe things might have been different?
Yep, lost my kid in a huge building one day and it took like 15 people to corner and catch her!
The same people who needlessly blah-blah-blah shame people who have their *small, very mobile, very curious* toddler on some sort of leash (backpack or otherwise) are also the ones who freak out the loudest with "HOW could this HAPPEN!!!!" when their own children run off, get lost, etc.
Yep. When my kids were little, there was one in the shopping cart, one in a backpack, and another on a leash. The oldest picked up the item I requested and put it into the cart for me. You wouldn't believe the things people said to me, but they're all alive and successful adults who are also good people, so no regrets on the leash.
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Son was 2.5 and we were at a Renaissance festival with thousands of people. He'd run off before, so we put a harness/leash on him. 25 feet long. He could run & we didn't have to worry about him getting lost. Had a lady lay into me saying I was treating him like a dog, it was child abuse, it would scar him for life, we were terrible parents. It was so bad we attracted a crowd. As I waited for her to wind down, security showed up. I finally looked at her and said "He can't run off, no one can take him, he still gets to run and play, and I know he's safe. That's better than losing him, possibly forever. Now, mind your own damned business and stay away from us , or I'll sue you for harassment, and mental distress and child endangerment " Security made them leave the park. My BFF was with us with her nephew - handed the lady her business card. She's the guardian of my kids. She's also a lawyer. Lady went white and quickly left
Our first kid was a sweet, quiet little thing. She liked being close to me and holding my hand. Now we have an 11 month old that learned to climb before he could crawl. He hasn't taken his first unassisted step, but he runs. He holds on to furniture, walls, dogs--and runs. He is fearless. And yes, he's getting the little backpack leash when he starts walking on his own. Dear parents from years ago. Im sorry I judged you. I get it now.
Yeahhhh. I ended up on a leash at age 2 when my parents noticed I made it the quarter mile to the street from our front door in record time...through snowdrifts that were taller than me. Some of my earliest memories are being on that leash in stores, etc. being about as cooperative as you'd think a toddler would be. I'm surprised they didn't just leave me at home until I was 18!
I've never had issues with kids on leashes. It's way better than micromanaging every second and trying to keep them holding your hand.
I used a dog leash back in the day to hook to the back belt loop (what toddler wears a belt anyway) of his trousers which I could loop around my wrist thereby freeing my hand and freeing his hand from having to walk around with one a hand above is head while holding my hand. Some people looked at me in digust - ef them. My kidlet was happy eating his ice cream cone and so was I.
We had a runner also when he was 18 months. I put a leash on him, lots of nasty comments which I ignored. I had a mesh harness that protected his chest and connected to his back. When we went to the beach he was running and slipped on wet concrete and hit the back of his head. It’s easier to make nasty comments than to ask why.
When my brother, who is 12 years older than me, applied this exact solution on me with a dog leash, everyone applauded him for being such a caring brother. >_<
I put both of my kids in a halter. There were happy. They had some move around room and did not have to just hold my hand.
Had one of those. I swear he started running about 2 steps after he learned to walk.
As someone who had a runner when they were little, leashes are for dogs. No child should ever be on a leash.
I have done that before , but with my cat , he is really Meow Bolt 🤣😂
I never could understand leashing your child until my third son, who's autistic. He loved bugs, so every time we went anywhere he had a habit of disappearing under a bush. He didn't answer when we called, so half the outing was spent finding him. He also loves to run. So, I got him a little backpack that looked like a stuffed dog. He loved it,but boy did the grandparents complain. Acted like I was abusing him.
I had all 3 (4 and under) of mine in the UK, and I used have them reined. People here think that is just so terrible - that they're not dogs. Well - fine then. It's a lot cheaper though than their funeral.
We managed to get in touch with Lucy Huber and she said the idea to post these thoughts popped into her head while she was attempting to wrangle her two-year-old out the door to his nanny share.
"Every morning we go through the same process which takes roughly an hour," Huber told Bored Panda. "Convincing him to get dressed, actually getting dressed, getting down the stairs, getting into the car seat. All of these things take at least ten minutes with a two-year-old because they just have to move at their own pace. It's not always a bad thing, I'm glad my son enjoys playing and asking questions, and taking his time to look at things and be curious. But it can be frustrating when you're trying to go somewhere because you never know how long he will take and if you try to rush a two-year-old, it usually ends in screaming."
I feel this. If we went to a museum or a nice restaurant, our daughter would likely have a come-apart, and if we went to the kiddie bouncy castle place, she would have the best time while we were bored out of our mind.
While virtually every parent is going through these things, according to Perri Klass, M.D., and the co-author of Quirky Kids, some do have it worse than others.
"If you have a child with a more challenging temperament, the truth is that you may have less fun parenting on a day-to-day basis for some of your child's life," Klass told Parents.
Which is kinda reassuring. That means it's completely normal to feel frustrated that your kid seems more difficult to manage than all three of your friend's kids combined. Or to be upset that your parenting is being unfairly judged by strangers and family who think they've done a better job.
Well, did you ask the fish to stop staring and mind their own business?
It's not just a question of perception. Science has already proven this. Research by Harvard University psychologist Jerome Kagan, Ph.D., suggests that an infant's temperament at birth is a good predictor of a child's behavior in adolescence.
Kagan found that 40 percent of babies have a calm disposition (they're not overly ruffled by stimuli like light or noise), and years later, these kids actually remain chill.
However, as many as 15 to 20 percent of babies enter this world with a more "reactive" temperament, which can make their parents politely call them a "handful."
In Kagan's study, these babies recoiled from light and noise and were hard to soothe. So if you have a difficult baby, does this mean you are destined for an even tougher future? Not necessarily.
We took our 5-year old on a hike, and she did want to go...complaining and complaining. Then she found a nickle on the trail...and then a dime...another nickle! There was no stopping her. We had a nice 30-minute hike, and it cost me less than $2.50.
"There's always that nature-versus-nurture controversy," Nancy Snidman, Ph.D., director of the child development unit in psychology at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, who conducted the research with Dr. Kagan and continues to study the temperament of children, explained to the same outlet.
"Parents, other kids, and teachers can help shape a child's personality and coping skills over time." This basically means that what someone might consider good parenting may not have as much of an impact on babies, whereas older kids with a tougher temperament can benefit the most from it.
"I don't think child-free people are clueless [about parents' struggles]," Lucy Huber said. "My tweet was about people with babies, which are more portable and have fewer options than toddlers, but still. I think it's just that before you have kids you think you'll be different than other parents and then it turns out you're really not because there's a reason other parents do things the way they do."
"Having kids is so much harder than you think it will be and for different reasons. I definitely thought I'd travel when I had toddlers but then you realize it's honestly not worth it. I think before you have kids there's this impulse to believe that you won't change your lifestyle when you have kids, as if changing your lifestyle is a sign of failure, but when you actually have kids you see that it's not a failure to change how you live, it's a privilege to adjust your life to this new person who has different needs than you."
Huber said that as a parent, you learn to adapt to those needs, and in many ways, the transition becomes joyful. "I probably won't be traveling to Paris any time soon but I have found so much joy in showing my toddler simple things in the world, like a fish pond or a dog park. I don't need my son to see Notre Dame because he's still fascinated with simply going to the local library and when I get to see it through his eyes, I am too."
Took a 6 hour trip last weekend. Drove at night so the 18 month old could sleep. He did not sleep and got so worked up near the end of the trip that he threw up
I don't understand why parents put up with this with toddlers. I would tell my two kids at this age, no, we're not doing that because we need to ____. In a quiet but firm voice. And keep following up. Draw that line and stick to it. My daughter only threw two tantrums (thankfully at home) and I just ignored her. Walked over her to continue with the laundry. No reaction from me, no more tantrums.
I made up The Sunscreen Song to sing while I put it on my daughter (Tune of You Are My Sunshine). “You are my sunscreen, my only sunscreen. You protect me from harmful rays. I’ll never know just how much I need you! Please apply sunscreen every day!”
While there are plenty of (opposing) parenting philosophies, research has found that kids who struggle more with negative emotions are most responsive to an empathetic yet structured and consistent parenting style.
But even if things don't go according to plan, experts remain hopeful; kids are more resilient than we sometimes give them credit for. And they love us. "One of the great things about life with small children is you get to wake up every morning and have a fresh start," Dr. Klass noted.
At least they can dress themselves. You may not like what they're wearing, but at least you didn't have to do it.
A recent UK study revealed 15 to be the most difficult age to parent. I guess, for those who are still in the midst of sleep deprivation and terrifying tantrums, the idea that the worst is yet to come can strike fear in their already exhausted hearts. But even if there's no one around you to unload on, remember that Twitter — with millions of parents on it — is always waiting.
My husband desperately wants to go on a family camping trip. I'm totally down for it, but I absolutely will NOT go camping until our youngest is out of diapers. Period.
The wonderful thing about Tiggers, is Tiggers are wonderful things. Their tops are made out of rubber, their bottoms are made of springs! They're bouncy, pouncy, trouncy, flouncy, fun fun fun fun fun! But the most wonderful thing about Tiggers is I'm the only one. IIIIIII'm the only one!
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My bro has always said that his nephews are the best contraceptive, he’s married now but still not convinced 😆
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Over Easter we had the most fun vacation in Italy with our 3yo. She was so sweet and patient and after I read these, I will go and feed her some cake ♥
Wow. It's been a whole two days since the last babies-are-a-living-Hell article.
Clearly enough material to run one hourly. What's your point?
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And the same people who wrote these can't accept that I really don't want children.
I do not have children. I have though, participated in numerous public/private parades, station tours, picnics, school visits, church visits, breakfast with Santas, Breakfast with Easter Bunnies, Fire Prevention Details, OB-GYN classes and ceu's etc. And I will say that I am amazed that humans, have made it this far, without becoming extinct. Just the knowledge from OB/GYN classes was enough for my wife and I to have a serious conversation on whether she wanted to actually give birth, because when people refer to the "Miracle of Child Birth", they basically are saying it is a miracle that the woman carrying the child; one: decided to actually do it, two: lived through the experience, and three: if applicable, actually chose to do this all over again. I have 3 cats inside, and 8 community cats outside, at least with them, all I have to do is shake the treat container or pop open a can of wet food to get them all together in one place, quietly.
I don't understand why people put up with toddlers doing some of this behavior. You know you can pick them up, right? Also, when I was a toddler and doing anything my mom didn't want me to do, she told me no, if I didn't listen I got in trouble. If she needed to do something that I didn't want to do, too bad, I had to stand there and deal with it because it needed to be done (combing my hair, putting on sunscreen or coats, etc). I learned to listen pretty fast.
My bro has always said that his nephews are the best contraceptive, he’s married now but still not convinced 😆
Load More Replies... Over Easter we had the most fun vacation in Italy with our 3yo. She was so sweet and patient and after I read these, I will go and feed her some cake ♥
Wow. It's been a whole two days since the last babies-are-a-living-Hell article.
Clearly enough material to run one hourly. What's your point?
Load More Replies... And the same people who wrote these can't accept that I really don't want children.
I do not have children. I have though, participated in numerous public/private parades, station tours, picnics, school visits, church visits, breakfast with Santas, Breakfast with Easter Bunnies, Fire Prevention Details, OB-GYN classes and ceu's etc. And I will say that I am amazed that humans, have made it this far, without becoming extinct. Just the knowledge from OB/GYN classes was enough for my wife and I to have a serious conversation on whether she wanted to actually give birth, because when people refer to the "Miracle of Child Birth", they basically are saying it is a miracle that the woman carrying the child; one: decided to actually do it, two: lived through the experience, and three: if applicable, actually chose to do this all over again. I have 3 cats inside, and 8 community cats outside, at least with them, all I have to do is shake the treat container or pop open a can of wet food to get them all together in one place, quietly.
I don't understand why people put up with toddlers doing some of this behavior. You know you can pick them up, right? Also, when I was a toddler and doing anything my mom didn't want me to do, she told me no, if I didn't listen I got in trouble. If she needed to do something that I didn't want to do, too bad, I had to stand there and deal with it because it needed to be done (combing my hair, putting on sunscreen or coats, etc). I learned to listen pretty fast.
