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Some things we just cannot forget. Like harsh words from the people we want to impress most—our parents.

On May 3rd, assistant professor at Stockton University Emily Van Duyne tweeted a question: "Does anyone else ever remember a cruel thing your parent said to you [and] it takes the wind out of you? Even if it was almost ten years ago?" Turns out, they do.

Emily's tweet has received over 200,000 likes and plenty of comments where people revealed their parents' mean phrases that will probably stick with them for life, and the thread has become like a giant online mental health session.

"I want you all to know I am sorting through and reading and thinking of and trying to respond individually to each of these stories," Van Duyne wrote as the responses kept pouring in. "I'm making pasta and reminding myself to be tender with my kids and tender with myself, as much as humanly possible, always. Please do the same."

Continue scrolling and check out some of our hand-picked confessions. Sometimes, seeing other people vulnerable is all you need to uncover and deal with your own crap.

#1

Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

BrainRockets Report

Dash Blue
Community Member
4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I hope that you shove your success in your fathers face, and never let him meet his grandchildren. Okay. A bit harsh.

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    #2

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    Plumpdn Report

    Nice cuppa tea
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Omg that is seriously twisted. Your mother is a sick woman

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    #3

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    Vivien_Jackson Report

    Raine Soo
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    How often have people said: You could be so pretty if you just lost the weight.

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    According to Jessie-Anne Bird, a psychologist from Johannesburg, South Africa, we can be deeply wounded by the words of others. "If we are not careful, we can react in a way that may escalate things unnecessarily," Bird told Bored Panda.

    Instead, the psychologist suggested we use the STOP technique, and it looks like this:

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    S: Stop. Wait before you react.

    T: Take a step back - give yourself some time and space from the situation.

    O: Observe what's going on inside and outside. Become aware of your thoughts and feelings, think about how they may be impacting your decision-making.

    P: Proceed mindfully - once you have an understanding of what is happening, and have thought through your options - then you will be in a position to make a choice about how to respond or react.

    #4

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    nada_lemming Report

    crazy_cat_notAlady
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    yes. the opp happened to me though. dad was sick for years (cancer). did everything I could and I couldn't. dropped out of a Ph.D. program to get a stable job to support his treatment and family costs. waited for years to hear him say for once that he was proud of me. never said anything...now it's too late. sometimes I wonder if I would view my life and career choices differently had he been actually proud of me, or if he cared.

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    #5

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    PurpleTurtleWat Report

    crazy_cat_notAlady
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    hey. u r beautiful. words can b harsh, but they can never strip u off ur beauty. glad u have found a good therapist. hope u continue to see the beauty of life and ur beauty too

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    #6

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    MichelleEgan84 Report

    Nice cuppa tea
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    God he is a sociopath. Hope you distanced yourself from him

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    Experts associate parent-child connectedness with a wide range of health indicators. Close, positive family relationships that feature open communication help young people stay healthy and avoid substance use and violent behavior.

    "We tend to use the perceptions of others to inform our self-view, and we might place more importance on the feedback we receive from those we value," Bird said. "When we hear hurtful things from those we love or esteem - they may hurt more because we are more likely to believe them."

    #7

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    maximiliidae Report

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    Imi Lo, a psychotherapist, art therapist, and consultant for emotionally intense and highly sensitive people, thinks the relationship between a child and a parent is one of the most instinctively protective, loving, and nurturing things humans experience. So when such a connection is clouded with feelings of deep hurt and resentment, these negative emotions can follow people beyond childhood and adolescence into adulthood.

    "At the end of the day, you want to be able to cross over the bridge of resentment and move to a place of peace," Lo wrote in Psychology Today. "But however cliche this sounds, you need first to love yourself, embracing both the good and the bad, your ability to love, and your rage towards others. You must forgive yourself for your inability to forgive. You are a survivor for being here today. You deserve to live without emotional baggage."

    If what you do grows into a deep sense of love for your parents, then the journey would have been worth it. If not, at least you know that you tried, and you will have no regrets.

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    #11

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    thatskyfii Report

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    #12

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    K00KIED0UGH Report

    Raine Soo
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Have you noticed how parents will utter any stupidity because they can't manage their own stress and will take it out on their children because no one else is around to hear them rant?

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    #13

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    _FandomNeeds_ Report

    Pusfarm
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    These are not parents, they're terrorists.

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    #14

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    JellyfishSando Report

    Prilsy
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That's gaslighting and my father did it all the time to me. Still does and I'm almost 50.

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    #15

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    bookkakes Report

    Grumble O'Pug
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Nothing like getting belittled to make you feel better, right? Ugh

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    #17

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    auntbooboo Report

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    #18

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    kenzie_connolly Report

    CatWoman312
    Community Member
    4 years ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    She’s 9 dad. She’s playing soccer which involves a lot of running (assuming she’s not the goalie) so back off!

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    #19

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    thhsystem Report

    Raine Soo
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    People fail to realize that self-harming is a coping mechanism toward pain and anger. Mom made it worse by telling you should be ashamed of yourself. I hope that you were able to find the help you needed.

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    #20

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    Sicarius001 Report

    Tami
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My mom is like this. She doesn't say she doesn't care, but she shows it by not showing interest and changing the subject. Meanwhile, she can blather on for 30-40 minutes about the toast she had for breakfast or how she sat out in the sun for awhile.

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    #21

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    LannieStabile Report

    Raine Soo
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    When I was growing up, and even into my teens, family friends would say how pretty I was. My mother would say, "Nah, she's not." And, then start to list all my faults. I'd either walk away or stand there, rolling my eyes. So, yeah, I feel you.

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    #22

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    heylexiwrites Report

    Raine Soo
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'd need therapy if I had to go through that rubbish too. Of course, I had my own battles with my mother.

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    #23

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    Eternity24601 Report

    Steve Barnett
    Community Member
    4 years ago

    This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

    Aspergic. Demanding and yes, draining.

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    #24

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    _potatofromhell Report

    CatWoman312
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Thankfully we wear masks now so we don’t have to look at the faces of ugly trolls like your mom

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    #25

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    freestylwalking Report

    Jaime
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Ah, I do that too, because of my ADHD. I really hate it, sometimes I say things that make people uncomfortable because I didn’t think before I spoke.

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    #26

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    icecubestepson Report

    Raine Soo
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yep, I only know too well what sort of mom you have.

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    #27

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    zambievibes Report

    Raine Soo
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Nagging for whatever reason never works. It only builds resentment.

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    #28

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    Alehfred Report

    Raine Soo
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This isn't quite the same, but my mother told me that I had no patience for young children. She said this to me when I was 10 years old. I'm surprised that I turned out this well despite her negative attitude.

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    #30

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    zombietwinkie44 Report

    Raine Soo
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    No, your parents meant it. They just passed off the insults as jokes.

    Kat Olmstead
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It stops being a joke when no one is laughing. This is the equivalent of "It's just a prank" to try and get away with as much destruction as possible.

    Martha Meyer
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Stop speaking to these people. That is not normal.

    MammaBear312
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Passive/aggressive behaviour. And then when you get angry at the 'jokes' or ask them to stop, they add that to their arsenal against you.

    Bettie-Jean Neal
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yup, totally mean it. It's deliberate, to hurt you. It's ok to cut toxic people out of your life. I know that's easier said than done, but it's ok if you do it.

    Susan McNeely
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    When my mom told me she blames me for my son not finishing high school. By the way I didn't finish high school either so was that my mom's fault? No it wasn't I didn't finish because my school was so full of gang members and I was always harassed because I wasn't a member. So I hated school! I took my GED passed with 85%, went into the Air Force for six years and then got my degree in natural science. None of that was my mom's fault. None of that can my mom take credit for either because I did it after I moved it at 16.

    JE Cummings
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If they said it, they meant it.

    Gail Oppy-Farrar
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    just ad the comeback of - yeah everyone tells me how much I am like my parents, so thanks mum and dad for making me so ugly and fat - it is all your fault as you are both ugly and fat :)

    JessRS
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Ohhhhh, this is GOLD! I hope OP sees it!

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    Damo Lee Park
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    i call my daughter fat all the time. I'll stop if she ever manages to actually gain some weight tho. I also make sure to remind her at least once a day that I call her fat for the same reason her mother calls me Mr Smarty Pants. Because this is Australia, and everyone's nickname must be the opposite of what they are

    Spittnimage
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If they didn't mean it they wouldn't say it.

    salty
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    mine to but it does not hurt cuz i know my parents would never say that but the i just say that came from you (my parents).

    sam puckett
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Even if it was a joke. Thats very rude to someone so beautiful

    Iggy
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Tell them that your genes came from them so you got your fat from your mother and your ugliness from your father. Let's see how they like it.

    Jaime
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Hah! Probably a bad idea, I doubt they would react well, but that is an amazing comeback XD

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    Y T
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My mum does that as well. She doesn't mean it in a bad way but now I'm ashamed to wear a bikini/tight top in front of her (and others). I would never say anything like that.

    Auntriarch
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Wear whatever you want. With gusto. And raise your eyebrows if she is rude. Because rude is what she is

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    Marian Moore
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My mom liked to remind me once in a while that I was a mistake, an oops, an accident. She never said that with my sister and 2 brothers. I tried to put it in the back of my mind, but it would pop up once in a while. Her and I were not real close. She was really close with my sister and older brother and my younger brother did whatever he liked. I was like the child that was looking in the window from the outside, because I never really fit in. sad. I made sure my kids never felt like that.

    Laurie Stahlbaum
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    if they don't mean it then why do they say it?

    Evelyn Hyda
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    There is no reason for converting insults into jokes.

    Mark Kelly
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If they say that about their child about that then they mean it.

    Elizabeth Molloy
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is a power play to keep you under their control. Cut them out like cancer!

    Mya Lugar
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I was shy and had no real friends from moving to a new school in 4th grade on through high school. My siblings found my vulnerabiliy and began to join in the demeaning comments from time to time at the dinner table . Finally, I had had enough, stood up and shouted "These hurtful comments STOP, TODAY!! If any of you don't love me, say so now or SHUT UP. It stopped forever at that moment. Try it. I knew they loved me, it was just that they wanted something to say and followed trend.

    Seabeast
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Of course they mean it. They wouldn't say it over and over again if they didn't. Make "jokes" about them being awful parents and see how they like it.

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    #31

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    camjozi Report

    TheReader19
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is about his own worthless life, not you.

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    #32

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    hoehning_it Report

    kasa alex
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My mum had an emotionally abusive mother...so she went on to marry an emotionally abusive man who abused both her and us (myself and siblings)...now my older sister is emotionally abusive towards me...and possibly her step daughter... #intergenerationaltrauma

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    #33

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    FormerlyPhoenix Report

    H Edwards
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I remember one of the staff at the care home telling me not to cry when I realised that my mother really was dying. It certainly wasn't helpful.

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    #34

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    callmekracy Report

    Raine Soo
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My best friend is estranged from all her family members. And, in turn, they all seem to be estranged from one another. She said that growing up in her family, the environment was quite toxic, and she needed to get away from that. How bad was it? She said that she'd rather die than ask them for help.

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    #35

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    socalbeachwalkr Report

    Raine Soo
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I can't tell you how many times my mother told me I was stupid. "Not as stupid as you," I would retort. And, then we'd be fighting again.

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    #36

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    EmilyGuyBirken Report

    Martha Meyer
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Okay, I think this was well meant, if wrong, advice, perhaps also said in a bad tone. I think OP here is probably very sensitive and had low self esteem at the time, so this hit harder than it might have otherwise.

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    #37

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    xxgalaxygabxx Report

    ninjaraph
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Parents do say things like that. I discover later in life it's about them, not you. They have insecurities. Please find the strength and self worth you deserve. Fight on!

    #39

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    helloimfran Report

    WildHoneyPie
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Shoot, that's just not fair. Birthday money is Yours. Spend it as you please.

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    #40

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    bubbble__gummm Report

    Jo Johannsen
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    One of my step fathers told me during their divorce that I was the cause. I was 10.

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    #41

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    RosePetalway Report

    #42

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    thunderstorm275 Report

    TheReader19
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Because you needed to end up in hospital that night

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    #43

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    SmashRadley Report

    Carol Emory
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I had a co-worker that was a man hater. She'd constantly say how dumb and useless they were. Then my boss went to her and said "You have a son, right? He will eventually grow up to be a man. So every time you berate and belittle men in his presence, you're actually insulting him. Do you think he's going to resent you for that?" Our co-worker never bashed on men again.

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    #44

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    IAmThingx2 Report

    Evil Little Thing
    Community Member
    4 years ago

    This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

    I feel like there's more to this story than Naomi is telling. Parents have feelings too, and she clearly caught her mom at a terrible time.

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    #45

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    gleesoc Report

    #46

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    theAsianVP Report

    TheReader19
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If this isn't the most stupid saying ever I don't know what is.

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    #47

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    CameroIsabella Report

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    #48

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    artwormsbrown Report

    Stephanie IV
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That a dress isn’t flattering can be said in a much less harmful way.

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    #49

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    WiseWyzard Report

    Carol Emory
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I did this with my mother. I called her after moving 3000 miles away to let her know her grandson was just diagnosed with Autism. She then proceeds to chew me out saying that she knew all along and that I had been to lazy to get him diagnosed before moving and that she had told me he was autistic (which she hadn't.) I tried to veer the conversation to what was being done for him to get him started on therapy. She kept going back to wanting me to admit that she'd already figured out his diagnosis before I left. I finally said "Look...I didn't call you to have an argument! If that's all you can do than sit there in your house alone and wonder what's going on. This is my son's life were talking about, not your Ego. Get over it or get lost!" And I hung up. Two months later, she called and apologized.

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    #50

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    nvrlernd2_reid Report

    Raine Soo
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My mother thought that I was an alien. I'm not joking. She kept telling me that I wasn't like any of her friends' children. My father was cool with me, though. I think he got a kick out of me being a wise ass.

    #51

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    PresumablyKelly Report

    Raven DeathShade
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I've been called "overdramatic" so much I can't even tell my parents how severely I have been impacted by them, and the fact I've quite literally been wishing that I could run far, far away from them or at least die. I'm scared they'll tell me I'm not actually depressed and I'm overreacting...

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    #52

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    mrzippety Report

    TheReader19
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I hope you're not like your mother; you're too good to be her

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    #53

    Cruel-Unforgettable-Things-Parent-Said

    gabbyflores15 Report