Parenting is one of life’s biggest and most enjoyable challenges. Helping your children grow into incredibly capable, morally upstanding, and passionate dreamers is every parent’s wish. However… we sometimes lose faith in the future of the human race when we see how some parents are acting online. The sad fact is, just because someone is a parent doesn’t mean that they’re a good one (even if they love their kids as much as anyone else).
There’s an online group on Reddit with 245k members called '[Stuff] Mom Groups Say' that’s been active since 2018. It's dedicated to shaming bad moms and all of their mom group drama. From anti-vaxx showdowns to debates about essential oils, the subreddit believes that these parents deserve to be called out for their behavior that, frankly, causes more harm than good.
Scroll down to lose a chunk of your faith in humanity, upvote the best of the worst pics, and do let us know what you think about these anti-parents, dear Pandas. Bored Panda spoke about the drama and misinformation that sometimes can be found in social media mom groups with the moderators of the '[Stuff] Mom Groups Say' subreddit, as well as with Samantha Scroggin, the founder of the 'Walking Outside in Slippers' parenting blog. Check out what they had to say below to pick up some great advice.
This post may include affiliate links.
This Mom On Why She Is Refusing The Big C19 Vaccine
Why Do They All Have To Hate Science Though?
Why Are Karen’s So Against Thermometers? Don’t Consent! Bonus Snark At The End
And yet I bet if their government talked about banning ACTUAL assault weapons due to someone ACTUALLY shooting children, she’d screech about “communism”.
"In my experience with online parenting communities, it's best to abide by the rules posted in these groups. Usually, that means no selling anything and no foul language, at a minimum. I generally try to be patient with people and open to different viewpoints, but it's aggravating when people are acting ignorant or spreading misinformation. In those cases, I try to give evidence of the facts without personal attacks," parenting blogger Samantha said.
Samantha used to be a professional journalist and is now a public information officer which means that she's very wary of fake facts. "Parents will make all kinds of claims in parenting groups online, including that vaccines are harmful. They'll recommend all sorts of remedies. But it's up to us to seek out reputable sources of information to help us make our own decisions on what's best for our kids," she warned that we have to do proper research instead of believing every bit of advice that we find online.
"I think we should reserve judgment of others' parenting styles when the actions taken are harmful to the child. And I realize what is harmful is open to interpretation. But if no one is being abused, let's have some grace for one another and the choices we make. Each child is different, and parents often know what works best for their child. Parenting is hard, and we can use as much support as we can get," she added.
I Asked About Learning Activities For My Toddler
"kindergarten as it is now" ... I don't know what kind of kindergarten you have, but the ones that I know of involve a lot of play time and fun activities, including learning social skills. Of course kindergarten teachers are well aware of kids' short attention spans, so they would plan the activities and learning accordingly.
Saw This And Just Knew It Belonged Here
The Mom Group I'm In Is A Goldmine For Crazy. I Posted About My 2 Year Old Asking For Privacy In The Bathroom And This Was A Comment I Got
Meanwhile, a lot of the subreddit's moderators pitched in to answer Bored Panda's questions. The mods explained that mom groups can sometimes be full of potentially dangerous misinformation, a desire to make money off more naive parents, and perpetuating "toxic rhetoric with zero consequences." The community also calls out those online groups that fanatically believe they're raising their kids "The Right Way" and anyone not doing so is a bad parent.
"The biggest lies are the coordinated lies spread in these groups on new parents at a vulnerable point of their lives. These women don’t need essential oils, or colloidal silver, they need paid family leave, affordable post-Partum care, health equities," one moderator explained. "New parents can be as dramatic as they want to be, they’re sleep-deprived and scared and have bills piling up and a new baby. Parental groups are allowed to be dramatic, they reflect the rawest human nature at one of the most 'precious' and yet frighteningly lonesome, most physically and mentally demanding, moments of our lives."
Is Covid19 Real? Asked And Answered In A Local Mom Group
"I will immediately ignore you if I don't agree with your views/facts/science"
Gay Satanic Clowns
It’s Gross Karen. I’m Also Pretty Certain It’s Illegal To Feed Unsuspecting People Your Bodily Fluids
The moderator continued: "So when people enter their lives promising a listening ear, a magical solution, and then shame them for breastfeeding or not breastfeeding, for co-sleeping, or sleep training, or not using magical amber teething beads, or for choosing vaccinations, then those are the heinous people that need to be shamed. They are actively manipulating people with a phony agenda and they need to be called out.”
Another moderator told Bored Pand that what inspired them to start the subreddit in the first place was the overall culture in mom groups that pushed their personal parenting philosophies as the one and only way to parent.
"These groups (like Cherry Universal, with specific subgroups for the crunchy moms and the sanctimonious moms) focus on preaching their way of parenting and viciously attack anyone who doesn’t fall in line. They’re a bigger problem for society too. Do you want to know where the anti-masking movement started? Look at posts from March-May of 2020 in crunchy mom groups. They push and perpetuate vaccine misinformation and an overall general mistrust of science and they use shame, groupthink, and banning to enforce their beliefs."
Found On A Baby Sleep Help Website. Says
Maybe Because That’s Illegal
Don’t do it. Simple as that. Also apologise and learn from your mistakes. Breastmilk is a bodily fluid. What if I ran out of water, should I piss in the brownies instead.
*stares In Cps*
However, the mod pointed out that far from every single mom group is bad. "Our birth month group, for example, has been the saving grace of my journey into parenthood. I have a cohort of parents who all have a child at the same age as mine. It’s a great way to get a quick pulse on typical development and also just feel generally supported, validated, challenged to be a better parent or find different and better ways to parent in a shame-free environment. I have a virtual village and that is just really incredible."
They continued: "To be really honest, it was how supportive I found my birth month group to be that sent me out in search of additional groups. My infant won’t eat baby food—oh, maybe I should check out this baby-led weaning group for ideas! (It was great, by the way.) But then when we started stumbling onto other groups that were just cesspools of negativity, abuse, bullying, etc, we learned about the subculture of 'mommy drama groups' and decided to bring it out into the public eye."
Guilt Tripping Your 3 Yo Child Into Nursing Is Gross
From A Mom Group On Instagram. I Guess People Without Children Are Not Allowed To Be Tired
This Seems Like A Healthy Relationship
We’ve written extensively about how to be a great parent and how to help your kids become independent. And, considering that there still are (and always will be) plenty of parents out there who either stifle their kids or who constantly exhaust themselves, the advice bodes repeating.
Anita Cleare, a parenting expert and the author of ‘The Work/Parent Switch,’ explained to Bored Panda in a previous interview all about how to overcome the desire to be a ‘perfect’ parent and how to stay positive when we’re all way, way too exhausted.
According to parenting expert Cleare, aiming to be a ‘perfect’ parent is the wrong way to go about things. This does more harm than good because it puts lots of unreachable expectations and undue pressure on both parents and children alike.
That’s Not How Any Of This Works
Given To My Daughter Through A Mom Group
My Child's Future Means Nothing To Me
“Trying to be a perfect parent is bad for children and bad for parents because it sets everybody up to fail. Research shows that ‘good enough’ parenting is best for children,” Cleare explained.
Instead, the expert suggests that all parents aim for ‘good enough’ parenting that actually helps improve our kids’ independence instead of them being overly-reliant on us.
In Cleare’s words, this involves “getting it right most of the time but also failing your children in ways they can handle—so that they gradually increase their independence.”
Vaccinations Made My Daughter Gay
Do Babies Give Hickies?
When my daughter was only a few weeks old I bent down to give her a kiss and she latched onto my chin. She had such a powerful suck that I had to break the suction by inserting my little finger in between my chin and her mouth. I had a red mark on my chin for quite a few weeks. So, yes my little human vacuum cleaner gave me a hickie.
This Extreme Fear-Mongering Pisses Me Off So Much
According to parenting expert Cleare, “Great parents make mistakes but they try to learn from them (and not to repeat them too often!).”
No matter your parenting style, you can’t do much if you’re overworked and exhausted. That means that looking after yourself is priority number one. If you put yourself last, you’re not doing your kids any favors, Cleare told Bored Panda.
F Your Privacy. I’m Gonna Show 53,000 People Your Picture And Tell Them You Got Your Period Today!
From An Unschooling Facebook Page. Poor Kid
I Literally Don't Even Know What To Say
“Even when you are really busy, try to find regular 5-20 minute breaks in your day when you can relax, practice some mindfulness, or do something joyful,” she said.
“Looking for the positives really does increase positivity,” the parenting expert added, suggesting that we try to maintain positive mindsets by being grateful and thinking about, for example, the 3 things that we’re glad to have in our lives.
Uhhhh Would This Be A Major Red Flag To Anyone Else?
They're Not Vaxxing Their Dogs Either
My Kid's Dentist Told Me Skipping Antibiotics Will Be Really Painful For Her, So I'd Like To Go Ahead And Do That
I actually have never heard of someone taking antibiotics BEFORE tooth extraction. Is this really a thing coz I have had 4 teeth extracted and not once did I need to do that. Afterwards yes, but not before.
Meanwhile, Lenore Skenazy, the president of the Let Grow nonprofit that aims to promote kids’ independence and fights overprotection, explained to us that children’s confidence grows when they know that others believe in them.
“A teacher, coach, grandparent, or, of course, parent who thinks you are terrific and ready to wow the world can make all the difference in the world,” Skenazy said, pointing out that when the support’s not there, it can have negative consequences on the child. So it’s important to balance support while also letting kids develop their independence.
According to Skenazy, how a parent tells their kids something is often more important than what they tell them to do. Kids take cues from grownups, so even phrasing something differently or using a different tone can have positive effects even if the topic that’s being talked about is far from pleasant.
Thats More Than 3 Pagents A Month If They Start When She Was Born! Of Course The Poor Thing Doesn't Want To Out Her Sippy Cup Down Shes A Baby!
Egg Fast Keto Mom Group
Who Says You Can't Be Cool And Rebellious Once You're A Mom
“The best way to make sure that a child starting out in the world feels like their parents believe in them—rather than simply being fed up—is for the parent to make it explicit!” Skenazy explained that this is how parents can communicate to their kids that it’s time to be more independent.
The expert also highlighted that telling the child that you’ll always love them, even though they’re becoming more independent is a healthy, mature way of communicating with them. However, that relies heavily on the parents themselves learning to loosen their grips on their kids and setting the bar for their expectations lower (which, maybe counterintuitively, leads to healthier, happier families).
So, dear Readers, what did you think of this list? Were there any pics that made you go, “Wow, that’s enough internet for me today?” Where do you think the line between being a good and a bad parent lies? What’s the best way to avoid drama on parent groups on social media? Share your thoughts and feelings in the comment section below. And remember, stay excellent!
Please Don’t Make Me Explain Why
Yeah, That’s Just Insane
Common Core Is Definitely Part Of The Leftist Agenda
"Home schooling group" kinda defeats the purpose of it being homeschooling, doesn't it. Doing it in a group is not a "home schooling group", that's an illegally operated, small school with unqualified teachers.
If You Have To Ask...
If Only It Fixed Everything (Found In My Breastfeeding Group)
I Guess You’re Out Of Luck Then
Breast milk will absolutely treat minor surface infections. It has live antibodies in it. This isn't some crazy theory from a youtube video, it's documented fact. I've treated an ear infection for my baby son in that way. We're not doctor refusers or anything, but it wasn't immediately possible to get to a medical facility but I had bm ready right there. I know plenty of mums that start by trying bm while waiting until morning and a doctor's appointment and swear by it. Bloody hell, in the furious attempt to discredit any woman that 100% doesn't tow the line of only sticking to things are advertised widely and very mainstream basic biological facts are being thrown out the window. But, you know, denigrating as many women as possible is the most important factor.
My GP actually recommended I do this for an eye infection and it did work.
Load More Replies...Is it a two year old eye infection or a two year old with an eye infection? Very confusing.
I also thought they had an eye infection for two years.... That's a long time crying pus...
Load More Replies...It actually does clear conjunctivitis in babies very well. There's a difference between anti vaxxers and Mums just doing their best and asking other Mums for help
Actually, breastmilk is a perfect thing to put in a baby sticky eye, both the midwife and the doctor advised me to do the same!
In my country, I saw on the news that there's a baby who went blind because his mom put breast milk into his infected eye
Load More Replies...Well actually my GP here in the UK suggested I do just this when my little ones got eye infections. They were a lot younger though.
These people are all nuts but as a young child I had a breast milk in eyes experience (stay with me!). On the way to a big family dinner I decided to spray my mom's perfume on me and ended up spraying in both eyes. I was hysterical! My nurse aunt flushed my eyes with water in the bathroom but it wasn't enough. Finally, she threw her hands up and her and mom took me in a stall and my aunt used breast milk to flush my eyes. Totally weird but it worked! I would never put breast milk in the eyes unless it's a last resort.
This actually pretty popular and doesn't harm....but for infants, maybe as a first step before you can get meds. Or if it clears, then you won't need meds. But for a 2 year old when you don't breast feed, it is a no brainer.
In my country, I saw on the news that there's a baby who went blind because his mom put breast milk into his infected eye so......
Load More Replies...You take him to the pediatrician and get prescribed eye drops, you f*****g moron!
So... I’m assuming you have had an eye infection.. for two years.but how would you have NOT CONSULTED A DOCTOR. Oh wait... how did you write this brainless? It must be the BREASTMILK
Have you hears of a Chemist or Pharmacy. Find one and ask for their advice on treatment, Or find a doctor, Not a Witch Doctor but a certified GP.
You should have breast milk as your a right t*t. (Try antibiotics you dumb ass)
breast milk cures everything apparently, go back to school Karen! (plz I mean no harm to anyone who's name is actually Karen)
WHile breast milk does have healing properties, if the eye is INFECTED, get some real medicine
It's the purest medicine there is. Unspoiled antibodies from an unspoiled human.
Load More Replies...Please don't do this. Breast milk has a different ph value and is harmful. (also my doctors advice when we talked about people doing this)
This is actually one of the only three things that breast milk has been proven to help with. Eye infections, ear infections and yeast infections are all shown to be helped by the topical application of breast milk. In most countries other than the USA, nurses and pediatricians advised the use of breast milk in the interim for these conditions until you can get to see your gp.
Load More Replies...Omg, yes. In the parenting and nursing FB groups, put breastmilk on and in everything. Ear infection? Breastmilk. Take your kid to the Dr, FFS!
Load More Replies...These pervs are obsessed with their “breast milk” and think they’re special for having it.
Ahem...TAKE HIM/HER TO A HOSPITAL. Or wait a month and have him/her fitted for a glass eye. Your choice.
Right now, despite all medical research/etc., I'm ready to advise that breast milk be labeled a cause of "gayness" and autism, to get these people to *stop*, please, *stop* with the breast milk.
I tried to find information about the topical antibacterial properties of breast milk. I found lots of anecdotes from people but no genuine scientific papers on the topic, so you cannot blame people for being 'uneducated' when the education available is scant, if available at all. What makes me suspicious about this claim, is that if human milk had these properties, why wouldn't animal milk? Yet far from using animal milk as a topical cure all, labs use it as a growth medium for microbes.
Load More Replies...Can’t Find Science To Back Up Your Claim? Must Be God
God Forbid, A Bald Baby!
Bruh this child is going to have self-esteem issues if the parents continue to do this all the way up to adult stage.
Prayer Isn’t Billable To Insurance, Karen
I think they're called shamans, but I don't think they believe in Jesus :/
Who Knew I Wasn’t A Real Mom?
Some Girl Posted A Question Asking Pregnant Moms If They Thought They Have Or Have Had Covid-19...
Good for you. Now tell that to the 2+million people who have died and the millions more suffering with severe adverse side effects months later. It’s like saying, I didn’t die from not wearing seatbelts so clearly we don’t need them.
Acv And Lemon Juice, The Literal Cure-All!
It might break down calcium carbonate on your chrome fixtures, but you might do more harm than good with this. Depends on diabetes, kidneys, potassium levels...
“They”
Dear concerned citizen, This is a lie. The magnetic field created by our microchips power core causes them to stick to the inside of the needle. We now give all microchips via ice-cream. Kind regards, 'they'.
Karen Spreading Some Hard Truths
The Unique Name Olympics Are In Full Swing
How Long Are We Using Months Now?
Yikes
What In The Hell
I try so hard not to be judgemental. But seeing so much stupidity and dangerous ideas has me judging a whole bloody lot.
Before Facebook I could at least have some hope in humanity...not anymore.
Load More Replies...These people are dangerous. So, so, so dangerous. None of them should be allowed to interact with the public, much less breed.
Can somebody please get child services on most of these people? And they wonder why American kids take guns to school, have depression issues and are out of touch with reality....it starts at home....
I'm 100% with you on this. Some of the people featured here not be allowed anywhere near children. Who's running these groups? The social media companies hosting this stuff need to get their acts together before children get killed.
Load More Replies...I dont understand why we dont need to pass a test to be allowed to have kids. The wellbeing of the kids is more important than their wish to reproduce.
Every day I become more and more thankful to God for the parents I was given.
Some of these are so ridiculously stupid that they have to be fake, right?!
On this post we shouldn´t upvote but downvote. All of these... many many times.
And of COURSE Obimom is a self proclaimed, self righteous anti vaxxer. Ignorant selfish c***s the lot of them.
Load More Replies...HERE IS SOME UNSEE JUICE FOR EVERYONE WHO WANTS SOME unseejuice...7aa6c9.jpg
i refused to believe those kind of people excist, untill i saw people on my knitting FB group post prayers and ask the lord for forgiveness for the person who posted a picture of something with the pattern of Biden and Harris on it :-D
I think God has bigger issues that Biden & Harris on a knitting pattern...
Load More Replies...The more i read,the angrier i get. Angry but also sad. Also the way they always bring God is infuriating. God gave us brain for a reason. Tch,what a waste.
There were several of these that reminded me of my 74yo mother. Today (2/15/21), the temp in Huston TX is 10°. Records have been broken all over the US for cold temps. My mother straight looked at me and said, "Now you see what a hoax global warming is". I just walked away.
Well, Trump made a similar comment about the snow in New York... And the Spanish president Mariano Rajoy declared some years ago that global warming was a lie because his cousin, who is a biologist, said so.
Load More Replies...I just find it very interesting that the subreddit only bashes moms when there are just as many dad's with the same exact mindset and beliefs as those moms.
Start a subreddit, collect the examples and post them. Honestly, there's one thing some women are very good at: feeling a victim of the whole universe. And they are usually the ones who have the least reasons to complain.
Load More Replies...I see some potential future Darwin Award winners in those posts..ye gods 🥶
Oh dear oh dear. I will admit, I got scared more than once. And where did the whole "bReAsT mILK wILL cUrE eVeRyThInG" come from?
I'm not sure if these are supposed to be funny but I am seeing a LOT of future mentally ill children here. I have no problem being "all judgey" about these idiots. Truly, stupid people shouldn't breed.
This is why I believe basic psychology, interpersonal skills, and child-rearing 101 should be taught in schools.
I love posts like this ... makes me feel better about the job I'm doing parenting :)
If your kids are loved and cared for, you're doing just fine. Like adults, children are individuals and what works for other people's may not work for yours... ... ... Jist remember that goes for when you give other parents "advice" as well.
Load More Replies...I know this is old, like 10 months old but, i see everything postet here still on a daily basis. Like, we had no learning progress at all over the past 10 months. O.o On the holidays i had to disturb a customer, because he had to clean his nose in front of other customers. He did that because he wanted to clean his nose and did not understand why i whas angry at him. O.o
Nononoonnoo. Just no. I have seen pictures of war zones, car crashes, children starving in Africa, effects of diseases on people including small children so on and so forth and you go through it to learn something about how it happened and why it happened and how one can help and I never looked away. This is the first time I felt physically ill because it was so horrific. I couldn't even get through the whole thing I just stopped when I reached that one where the mom was saying a little poop isn't toxic and I just noped the f out.
No. It has always been there. The Internet only showed these people's stupidity to the whole world.
Load More Replies...To all of these mothers, Have you tried adoption? I'm sure your kids will get a better life with another family
Posts like these are just decisive. Yes, many of these people are concerning. However, in the end this post is about shaming moms and people who think differently than you. Rather than opening a conversation or (and some times this is an option) ignoring it, you shame people, driving them further away.
As an American, I take a slight offense with this. It isn't ALL Americans. You have seen what we have had to deal with for the past four years. The idiots and the ones that do the s****y things get all the attention. I am sorry to be an American because of what happened. Don't judge an entire country based on Trump and his lackeys.
Load More Replies...I try so hard not to be judgemental. But seeing so much stupidity and dangerous ideas has me judging a whole bloody lot.
Before Facebook I could at least have some hope in humanity...not anymore.
Load More Replies...These people are dangerous. So, so, so dangerous. None of them should be allowed to interact with the public, much less breed.
Can somebody please get child services on most of these people? And they wonder why American kids take guns to school, have depression issues and are out of touch with reality....it starts at home....
I'm 100% with you on this. Some of the people featured here not be allowed anywhere near children. Who's running these groups? The social media companies hosting this stuff need to get their acts together before children get killed.
Load More Replies...I dont understand why we dont need to pass a test to be allowed to have kids. The wellbeing of the kids is more important than their wish to reproduce.
Every day I become more and more thankful to God for the parents I was given.
Some of these are so ridiculously stupid that they have to be fake, right?!
On this post we shouldn´t upvote but downvote. All of these... many many times.
And of COURSE Obimom is a self proclaimed, self righteous anti vaxxer. Ignorant selfish c***s the lot of them.
Load More Replies...HERE IS SOME UNSEE JUICE FOR EVERYONE WHO WANTS SOME unseejuice...7aa6c9.jpg
i refused to believe those kind of people excist, untill i saw people on my knitting FB group post prayers and ask the lord for forgiveness for the person who posted a picture of something with the pattern of Biden and Harris on it :-D
I think God has bigger issues that Biden & Harris on a knitting pattern...
Load More Replies...The more i read,the angrier i get. Angry but also sad. Also the way they always bring God is infuriating. God gave us brain for a reason. Tch,what a waste.
There were several of these that reminded me of my 74yo mother. Today (2/15/21), the temp in Huston TX is 10°. Records have been broken all over the US for cold temps. My mother straight looked at me and said, "Now you see what a hoax global warming is". I just walked away.
Well, Trump made a similar comment about the snow in New York... And the Spanish president Mariano Rajoy declared some years ago that global warming was a lie because his cousin, who is a biologist, said so.
Load More Replies...I just find it very interesting that the subreddit only bashes moms when there are just as many dad's with the same exact mindset and beliefs as those moms.
Start a subreddit, collect the examples and post them. Honestly, there's one thing some women are very good at: feeling a victim of the whole universe. And they are usually the ones who have the least reasons to complain.
Load More Replies...I see some potential future Darwin Award winners in those posts..ye gods 🥶
Oh dear oh dear. I will admit, I got scared more than once. And where did the whole "bReAsT mILK wILL cUrE eVeRyThInG" come from?
I'm not sure if these are supposed to be funny but I am seeing a LOT of future mentally ill children here. I have no problem being "all judgey" about these idiots. Truly, stupid people shouldn't breed.
This is why I believe basic psychology, interpersonal skills, and child-rearing 101 should be taught in schools.
I love posts like this ... makes me feel better about the job I'm doing parenting :)
If your kids are loved and cared for, you're doing just fine. Like adults, children are individuals and what works for other people's may not work for yours... ... ... Jist remember that goes for when you give other parents "advice" as well.
Load More Replies...I know this is old, like 10 months old but, i see everything postet here still on a daily basis. Like, we had no learning progress at all over the past 10 months. O.o On the holidays i had to disturb a customer, because he had to clean his nose in front of other customers. He did that because he wanted to clean his nose and did not understand why i whas angry at him. O.o
Nononoonnoo. Just no. I have seen pictures of war zones, car crashes, children starving in Africa, effects of diseases on people including small children so on and so forth and you go through it to learn something about how it happened and why it happened and how one can help and I never looked away. This is the first time I felt physically ill because it was so horrific. I couldn't even get through the whole thing I just stopped when I reached that one where the mom was saying a little poop isn't toxic and I just noped the f out.
No. It has always been there. The Internet only showed these people's stupidity to the whole world.
Load More Replies...To all of these mothers, Have you tried adoption? I'm sure your kids will get a better life with another family
Posts like these are just decisive. Yes, many of these people are concerning. However, in the end this post is about shaming moms and people who think differently than you. Rather than opening a conversation or (and some times this is an option) ignoring it, you shame people, driving them further away.
As an American, I take a slight offense with this. It isn't ALL Americans. You have seen what we have had to deal with for the past four years. The idiots and the ones that do the s****y things get all the attention. I am sorry to be an American because of what happened. Don't judge an entire country based on Trump and his lackeys.
Load More Replies...