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Most parents want to do a good job raising their children, but not all succeed. According to a survey by the UK non-profit family support organization Home-Start, 67% of parents say that being called a “bad parent” is the worst criticism they could receive. 74% said they wanted to be recognized as “good parents,” and 37% claimed they feel the pressure to be the “perfect parent.”
What makes one a bad parent? Is it as simple as a lack of hugs or playtime? Most people have their answers, and in a recent online thread, many adults shared theirs. When user u/malizelen asked, “What screams “I’m a bad parent?” hundreds of people had their answers ready. Whether from personal experience or from observing others’ parents, folks listed the no-nos mothers and fathers should stop doing if they want a good relationship with their children in the future.
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#4
Using your phone non-stop while your kid is trying to talk to you or show you something they made.
#5
Toddler glued to iPhone.
Beak Hookage 1 hour ago
My sister has a brain; her kids don't have phones or tablets to avoid this very scenario. Plus lots of outdoor play and learning about gardening and animals and such. They're going to grow up well; I can tell.
#6
Constantly humiliating your child instead of correcting their behavior privately.
Beak Hookage 1 hour ago
Being constantly humiliated and made to feel bad and stupid as a child f***s you up for life, trust me. (Not my parents' doing; it was bad teachers and bullying peers the teachers didn't discipline appropriately).
#7
A toddler in nothing but a dirty diaper walking around with a bottle full of soda.
#8
"So I took their door away".
#9
Telling your parent that they hurt you and instead of them apologizing they justify it and say they did the best they could.
#10
Took my daughter to the park today and the lady with her little boy near me constantly spoke to him in such a nasty way, calling him dumb and belittling him. Genuinely was shocked, why have kids if you're going to hate them 😞.
#11
When you think your kids are your property instead of humans who are in your care temporarily until they are able to care for themselves as adults.
#12
Continuing to reproduce even though you have children that you don’t take care of (one with special needs). Total pos in my opinion!
Beak Hookage 1 hour ago
SO many cases were useless/ab.usive parents have their children taken away by CPS, repeatedly... and then go and have yet another baby anyway. Like TF are they even thinking? Half the time the baby ends up perishing if CPS doesn't take them away too.
#15
“I’ll give you something to really cry about”
ETA: and I’m only a little old. It’s more common than you’d think.
#16
Being jealous of your child instead of proud of them.
Beak Hookage 1 hour ago
I pretended to be jealous of a kid once. I was coming home on my bicycle and this neighbour kid's riding around in an awesome mini motorised car that looks like a real car. I loudly exclaimed "What?! You get to have a car while I'm stuck riding a bicycle?!" Kid broke into this huge grin and I heard him saying "Mum did you hear what that lady said?" while laughing.
#17
Making your child feel responsible for managing your emotions. If your child is sad/upset/anxious and you can’t regulate your emotions to help support them.
#19
As a teacher: the kids that destroy classrooms, the kids that don’t read, the kids that don’t bathe, the kids that don’t know how to act towards adults and peers. Unanswered emails from teachers about behaviors. We know. We know you’re doing them wrong. It’s glaringly obvious.
#21
When they laugh at their kid when they are stressed or have a panic attack. Speaking from experience.
#22
Dumping them unnecessarily on others
Using them for ‘woe is me’ or click bait online.
Not parenting. Og Archie’s just a free spirit that’s why he’s attacking your son with the toy cricket bat. He’s just expressing himself.
#23
Talking on the phone and letting your kid run around unsupervised in public.
#24
Not disciplining or correcting bad behavior, letting kids walk allover you and giving in to rude demands.
DrBronxx 36 minutes ago
This does suck. Striking a good balance is so difficult, though. You don't want to be too strict, but you also don't want to be too soft. Finding the line is the most difficult thing, especially when that line can shift. Dealing with a toddler who is fed and rested is different from dealing with one who is hungry and tired (and is refusing to eat or sleep).
#25
The kid(s) have no manners, no boundaries, and/or any idea that screaming all the time is unacceptable.
#26
When the kids would rather deal with injuries and accidents on their own instead of asking their parents for help.
#27
The one driving down the street with a cigarette hanging out of their mouth and a kid in a booster seat in the back.
#28
Getting angry and trying to force a child who is afraid to do something like to get in a pool or to pet a dog. Makes me want to intervene.
#29
Constantly making comments about how you should look. My mom and I went to a restaurant to celebrate the fact i had passed my exams with pretty good grades, but while we were walking she just kept making comments about how i didnt comb the back of my hair, how my hands were in my pockets how I walked like I was "going to work". Honestly made me feel insecure about how i looked.
#32
Belt welts on your child. I grew up with a father who hated his children. Once my mom divorced him we never spoke again.
#34
"I dont understand why NONE of my kids talk to me"....
#35
Wondering why your kid had gone NC with you, but you don't know why and that it's definitely their fault though for being ungrateful.
#36
Coming to the rated R hardcore horror film with your 7 year old.
Beak Hookage 1 hour ago
I went to see The Lovely Bones (in which, spoilers, a young girl is violently slain after an implied SA) and some idiot brought a CHILD with them! They kept checking in to ask the kid was she upset and they ultimately left partway through but come on! (Frankly the latter half of the movie was so pointless and dull I kind of wished I'd left too).
#37
Never admitting you were wrong and apologizing for said transgressions. That will lose respect really quickly.
#38
Unrestricted technology. I know a lot of people don’t wanna be helicopter parents, but I work in children’s mental healthcare and just the other day I sat in a long presentation about how u should give ur toddler under 3 y/o a cigarette before you give them a tablet because the long-term effect of one cigarette at that age is better than screen time everyday which is why it’s not recommended for any child under 3. Really changes how u think when u see these kids who can’t function without a screen day in and day out.
Paul C 2 hours ago
That was exactly how my mother taught me smoking is bad - gave me one when I was 5 and I thought it cool. I coughed like crazy after one puff and never thought smoking was good again. One of the few genuinely good pieces of parenting she's done. Not sure it would be allowed these days.
#42
Continuing to poke the bear during an argument when it's clear your kid has had enough. My friend's dad does this, bro why do you *need* to win an argument with a 14 yo?
#43
Being 3 feet from your drowning child in the ocean being rescued by a lifeguard… viral video today.
#44
When ALL of your kids have been to prison or jail.
#45
Not following car seat guidelines/car safety basics. Kids out of car seats way too early…kids not in booster seats…kids in the front seat. Just buckle your kids properly.
#46
Letting your little darlings stand at the baggage carousel preventing those of us who (can) actually LIFT LUGGAGE to get to ours.🤬.
#47
Not knowing basic info. Allergies, doctor, basic medical history, shoe and clothing size, teacher’s name, etc.
#48
Not talking to your child to build their vocabulary.
Beak Hookage 1 hour ago
This brings back fond memories of my nerdy father teaching me new words and what they meant. Well and he and my mother also read to me and encouraged me to read once I was able to. Now I use words like "prevaricating" as part of my natural vocabulary.
#49
Children who act like “little adults.” If a kid acts like an adult then they may be having to manage their parents.
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