Kids are far more clever than we give them credit for. We should know, we used to be kids ourselves! Their imaginations are in overdrive, their wittiness is off the charts, and they have their ‘snappy comebacks’ levels set all the way to 11.
Today we’re featuring the times that kids outsmarted their parents with some hilarious and genuinely impressive power moves, as shared on the r/madlads subreddit.
Scroll down, upvote your fave posts, and let us know in the comments which of these made you giggle the most. And be sure to read on for Bored Panda’s chat about parenting and how kids like to test limits with relationship expert Dan Bacon, a loving father of two.
Oh, and if any of you Pandas reading this are parents, we would absolutely love it if you’d share your own fun experiences raising your kids.
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9 Year Olds Being Absolute Madlads
He definitely deserved it. Who does that to kids? Good grief
It is funny because it is mean and they technically did nothing wrong.
There's a picture online that shows a pickup crashing into a giant snowman with a solid core. There seem to be more of those jerks around.
Like that guy who drove into snowman made around tree trunk, poetic justice
Kids catch on quickly. Idiots are easily fooled. We can learn so much at a young age.
#GetRekt We did a similar thing when I was a kid. It wasn't a car tho. We built snowmen and the school bully runs over and kicks it with all his might. So the next time we built the snowman over a very solid rock. I was like 8 years old so I'm not sure exactly how much damage he did to himself but he wasn't at school for a few days and had a pretty thick bundle of bandages when he returned.
First time could be played off, like "oh, he was just being funny, haha, nice one mister" Second time: "ok, this guy wants trouble, if he's smart, he won't come back" Third time: *dials 911 "hi, I think there's a drunk driver trying to hit some minors playing in the snow, come quick!"
I think the guy was Calvjn as an adult (if you get it, you get it.)
There is a swedish movie with a similar theme called "Midvinterduell" :)
We built snowmen across the road once when we were kids and hid on top of the snowbanks to watch the cars
I recently saw that someone built a full-sized snowman around a big tree stump in their yard--same result.
Wow.. I always hoped people like that only existed in movies. That's just sad & had those been my kid's snowmen.. things would've gotten outta hand I'm sure.
And then the kids were jailed for obstructing a fire hydrant and their parents were sued for damages
When it starts "true story" I've read this story so many times on different threads 😴😴
Because there's more than one asshat in the world who get their jollies by making sure everyone's as miserable as they. Even kids. Just like people who think they need to try to turn a funny story into attempted murder...which is what the driver could be charged with since it was probably a residential area with kids having been out there. You spin it one way, I'll spin it the other.
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Of all the things that didn't happen, this one didn't happen the most.
While the idea is funny, if a cop or firefighter caught you doing that you could be in big trouble. You can't obstruct fire hydrants with anything, even snowmen. Someone's house catches fire, fire dept comes, can't find the hydrant, house burns down = bigger problems than your little snowmen being run over.
The snowman was just temporary. They knew the jerk would probably come back. When he hit the hydrant, it was visible again. No big deal
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No. I don't think he could have been killed, but even if, then he would have killed himself. They did not build their snowmen on the street. Who drives around ON LAWNS to destroy snowmen? The driver could have as easily driven around over every little pile of snow and hit a boulder. Not the kids fault. And anyway, he could have more easily hit one of the kids and killed them rather than himself.
Load More Replies...Relationship expert and father of two Dan explained to Bored Panda what the right balance should be between strictness and fun when it comes to raising kids. According to him, patience is key. As is the understanding that children love to see what they can get away with doing.
“In order to be good, functioning citizens of a society, children do need to be shown what is good and what is bad. However, you have to remember that a child is a clean slate and is effectively innocent,” he said.
Mad Panini Lad
Not Sure If This Counts But Madlad Strikes At His Mom?
According to Dan, kids are constantly testing boundaries and checking to see what their parents will and will not allow them to do at home.
“The child will often say and do things that could make you angry if you don’t understand that he/she is simply testing to see what is okay or not, or what the limits are. Without testing, the child will just sit there, be quiet and do nothing, which isn’t going to happen,” Dan explained.
Madlad Kid
This Kid Deserves An A For Creativity
D E S T R O Y E D
“The child wants to explore the world around it and see what he/she can and cannot do. The child will also regularly forget what is right or wrong at times, or remember that something is wrong, but do it again anyway to see if you have a different response this time,” the dad of two pointed out what parents should be aware of.
“By doing it again, the child often shows you that it doesn’t need to follow a particular rule because the rule was too strict, or unnecessary, which then results in you changing and allowing the child to do it from then on,” he said.
Mothers Children Are Absolute Madmen. Out Of Control
This Little Mad Lad's On A Mission
Power Move
“So, you need to be patient as the child grows up and figures out how to behave and approach life in a way that suits you and himself/herself. One way to think about expecting a child to change or follow your orders is to remember how long it can take you to change a certain behavior as an adult,” Dan mused.
“Sometimes it can take weeks or months for you to stop a habit, change a behavior or take on a new behavior that people are asking of you, so you shouldn’t expect a child to change everything overnight and be completely obedient to every new rule you come up with," he said.
You Cant Speak Chinese Here
Honestly I Would Do That
Absolute Mad Lad Dad
"You have to love patiently, otherwise being a parent will make you feel stressed all the way through the child’s life," Dan said.
Some of us honestly think we peaked in terms of humor and wit and creativity when we were kids (and it was all downhill from there!). So it’s no wonder that we’ve been trying to recapture some of that magic. One of the ways to do it is to remind yourself what it actually means to be a child: speaking boldly and without a filter, setting our imaginations loose, and finding interesting ways of looking at the world.
What A Legend
Hope He Didn't Get Detention
Little Miss Madlass
Recently, Bored Panda went in-depth about how clever kids can be. Comedy writer and single mom Ariane Sherine said kids take after their parents in terms of wit, sense of humor, and creativity.
“Both I and my daughter’s dad work in the media, and from an early age, she’s wanted to be a pop star, writer, and actor. I don’t know how much of her creativity was influenced by seeing her dad’s writing in the newspaper and seeing me go out late to perform at musical comedy gigs. She definitely has creative talents, but how much of that is nature or nurture I don’t know. As for sense of humor, she’s far more sassy and sarcastic than me, so I think her sharp wit is all her own!” she told Bored Panda.
Madlad Son
Yup, S**t Happens
Madlad In Lecture
“My daughter loves starring in my social media posts. She actually asks me to tweet about her! When she does something cool or impressive like skateboarding or graffiti writing, she asks, ‘Can you put it on Twitter?!’ Then she loves to read the comments. I guess some kids are more shy and retiring, but I like the fact that mine is confident and happy to show the world her talents,” she said.
Mad Student
Madlad Kids
Ariane told Bored Panda that she is a very liberal mom because she had very strict parents herself.
“I think being liberal encourages creativity as it gives kids the confidence to express themselves fully, and my daughter is usually very sweet-natured and well-behaved. She’s also a lot of fun, while I didn’t dare to be fun in such a strict environment when I was a kid, so I’m really pleased that I’m giving her a happier and freer upbringing.”
Lad In Progress!
Madlad's Mom Has Got It Going On
The Pastafarians Are Rising!
Farting Madlad
Nacho
Mad Dad And Mad Lad Jr
One got grounded, one was banned from bedroom but it was still worth it! :D
Child Mad Lad
Yeah, we're an enlightened bunch when we were kids. I drank a 500ml bottle of Hai Karate aftershave because my brothers and I wanted to know if it made my farts smell better. Just for the curious: Farts could still peel the skin off the back of your eyeballs at 20 meters, and you get weird hallucinations, but at least the nurses in the hospital saw the funny side
He Did It
My God Her Daughter Is A Madman
Absolute Madlad In The Comments
When my kid was five or so, they told me they would never get tattoos. I assume that having heavily tattooed parents has this effect on many kids.
This Kid
Madlad 12 Year Old
This Kid Is Going Places
How To Scare The S**t Out Of Your Siblings 101
Bro, He's Just A Kid
Child Mad Lad
4 Year Old Madlad
Legend, This Kid Is
Madlad Kids
Once A Madlad Was 7 Years Old
Mad Lad Child
In Australia we say "step on a crack, break your mothers back; step on a line, break your fathers spine"... we're equal-opportunists!
Madlad Son
This Lad Has Zero Chill
Mad Lass
The Dedication Of This Mad Lad Nephew
Son Is A Madlad
Note: this post originally had 83 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
Of course that children are smart, that is the part of their survival instinct, so let's teach them compassion and kindness and that starts with animals - children tend to be drown to animals for reason. This only way to save our planet and their future. - "As long as man continues to be the ruthless destroyer of lower living beings, he will NEVER know HEALTH or PEACE. For as long as man massacre animals they WILL kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seed of murder and pain CANNOT reap joy and love." - Pythagoras (580 -470 BC/BCE) Greek mathematician & philosopher
When my son was in elementary school, you used to be able to play games with random people on Yahoo messenger (idk if that's still a thing because who uses it anymore?). He was matched up with a (apparently) older woman in Scrabble who asked at one point how old he was. "I'm 9, how old are you?" To which she replied "I'm older than dirt!" Later in the game she said, "You're pretty good for 9!" My son typed back "Thanks! You're pretty good for dirt."
I was a young teen when my future uncle babysat us for the first and last time. He woke up on the couch to find a mostly empty can of beer he left on the coffee table the night before. So he took a giant swig. I think he got most of it down before he realized that the large mouthful was not beer but pure pickle juice.
These are funny, but there's a difference between being smart and being clever. My niece was composing music at 5, last I checked speaks 3 languages and is the youngest black belt in her category, but can't have an original thought to save her life.
Of course that children are smart, that is the part of their survival instinct, so let's teach them compassion and kindness and that starts with animals - children tend to be drown to animals for reason. This only way to save our planet and their future. - "As long as man continues to be the ruthless destroyer of lower living beings, he will NEVER know HEALTH or PEACE. For as long as man massacre animals they WILL kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seed of murder and pain CANNOT reap joy and love." - Pythagoras (580 -470 BC/BCE) Greek mathematician & philosopher
When my son was in elementary school, you used to be able to play games with random people on Yahoo messenger (idk if that's still a thing because who uses it anymore?). He was matched up with a (apparently) older woman in Scrabble who asked at one point how old he was. "I'm 9, how old are you?" To which she replied "I'm older than dirt!" Later in the game she said, "You're pretty good for 9!" My son typed back "Thanks! You're pretty good for dirt."
I was a young teen when my future uncle babysat us for the first and last time. He woke up on the couch to find a mostly empty can of beer he left on the coffee table the night before. So he took a giant swig. I think he got most of it down before he realized that the large mouthful was not beer but pure pickle juice.
These are funny, but there's a difference between being smart and being clever. My niece was composing music at 5, last I checked speaks 3 languages and is the youngest black belt in her category, but can't have an original thought to save her life.
