Kids aren't the smartest. Sure, one moment they might drop a philosophical and poetic line that seems to tap into some universal truth and make you wonder about it for the rest of the day, but the next they might be shoving a straw into an orange, trying to have some juice.
So let's take a minute and have a little innocent laugh at them, shall we? I mean, people who witnessed our, let's call them, less fortunate moments have certainly had so it's only fair we enjoy what the younger generation has to offer too, right? We earned it.
That's why we at Bored Panda put together a new list of pictures that capture children at times they seemed to have no idea how the world actually works. Continue scrolling to check out the images and fire up our earlier articles here and here to catch up on the series.
This post may include affiliate links.
Kids Will Be Kids
How Do You Expect Kids To Live With Such Narrow Minded Parents?
How much you talk with your child can be really important to their development. In the mid-1990s, an interesting discovery was made about a stark difference in language achievement in children. Researchers Betty Hart and Todd Risley visited families from different socioeconomic groups, spending an hour each month recording them over more than two years.
Going through the data, they found that children from the poorest backgrounds heard one-third as many words per hour as those from higher-income backgrounds. Scaling up, the researchers proposed that by the time the children were four years old, there would be a 30-million word gap between children from poor backgrounds compared to those in wealthier, professional households.
Dropping The Phone Will Hurt Grandma
Ahh Yes, That's Reasonable
My Son Thought This Light Switch Would Control The Lights In The Store
As Melissa Hogenboom pointed out for the BBC, this study was far from ideal. It had a small sample size, and it's not entirely clear if the word gap is as large as the researchers first suggested.
Critics have since shown that low-income children hear many more words than Hart and Risley reported when factoring in language they overhear from conversations both inside and outside the home.
But responding to these critics, another group highlighted that "young children do not profit from overheard speech about topics of interest to adults."
Never Give Up On Your Dreams
Important Questions For The Doctor
I remember when I was a kid, the local mayor came to talk to us and answer some of our questions. My best friend decided to ask him how often he changes his underwear.
Just Lost My Foot After A Motorcycle Accident. This Is The Sticker My Son Chose To Decorate My Brace
However, if this word gap does exist, it is problematic because language is known to be one of the most important predictors of how well you are going to do later in life, from your earliest school years to university and so, might even be an indicator of the success of your future career.
Whether we're learning basic numeracy or articulating memories, we need language.
He Refused To Let Me Help Him Order His Food Because He's A "Big Boy". Now He's Sitting Mad As Hell With His Egg On A Hot Dog Bun With Jalapeños And Black Olives
That Went Downhill Fast
We Found My Wife’s Phone In The Toilet Yesterday. We Weren’t Sure Which Of Our Three Kids Put It There Until My Wife Scrolled Through Her Pictures Today
That kid has the eyes of a master criminal. 'You gonna use the 'no' word on me? Fine. I'm gonna sever your contact with the outside world...'
Scientists are even able to show how the brain responds to early language exposure. One group, led by Rachel Romeo, a neuroscientist and speech language pathologist at Boston Children’s Hospital, showed that conversational interactions can have a visible benefit on brain development.
The team recorded conversations in families’ homes monitoring both the amount of language they were exposed to and the number of conversational turns and discovered that children who had more turn-taking conversations were better at language comprehension tasks.
Well It Was Definitely One Of You
Would Not Stop Crying Until She Got Her Own Cone Of Shame
My Niece Just Made Everyone Friends And Said "No Fighting". I Can't Stop Laughing
Someone should try this on Putin. And if that fails, concrete overcoat.
My Brother And I Met Our Favorite Super Hero (The Hulk) When We Were 4. We Were Frustrated Because Lou Ferrigno Wasn’t Green
Indeed, we have evidence that it is not passive hearing – or even the amount of words a child is exposed to – that matters most. Instead, it is the quality of the conversation that is important. The back and forth turn-taking nature that requires listening and responding.
It’s what Hirsh-Pasek and her long-time collaborator Roberta Golinkoff refer to as a “conversational duet”, as “you can’t sing it alone”. In fact, another study found that if a conversation is interrupted by a phone call, the child does not learn a newly presented word (they will learn it if the conversation is not interrupted).
Oh My
My 10-Year-Old Nephew Told His Mom He Doesn’t Know How His Phone Broke. He Just Woke Up And It Was Like That. A Few Days Later She Finds He Posted This On Youtube
It Makes 1 Hour That They're Looking For Their Car Keys That Their Kid Buried Inside The Sand
Toddler Got Her Hands On Hair Removal Lotion Instead Of Her Dad’s Hair Gel
That's what I was thinking. I must have hella strong neanderthal hair or something because it's never worked that well for me. Stupid genetics.
Load More Replies...
How does a child that age get hold of some harsh chemical, and put it all over her head and nobody notices?
"got her hands on". She might as well have swallowed it. I do not think this is funny.
This is why you keep all chemicals, lotions, hair products, makeup, skin care etc put away where kids cant get them!!! Thank goodness it didn't get in her eyes, she'd have been blind as well. Hopefully the parents learned a lesson about child safety
Guess not. I mean they posted it and thought it was funny.
Load More Replies... 
Ok, I am having a hard time not freaking out about this one because it could have gone so much worse. It’s one of those things that’s funny in retrospect but when it happened may have been pretty scary. Poor baby is lucky they don’t have chemical burns!!!
Do you guys know how Toxic that Sh!t is?? Not only can it cause blindness if placed in the eyes by say...a toddler with underdeveloped motor skills, but it can easily cause a nasty blistering rash on tougher adult skin. Imagine if the child happened to be allergic? Even baby Pennywise deserves better parenting than this!!
West Virginia huh? LOL This will be a great picture to post at their graduations
As soon as i read "her" again.. nooooooooo. Poor lil Ginger. Now shes Chucky for at least 4-6 weeks
Why were either of those things down? As a mother I am not perfect but I can say that my kids never ever got ahold of something like that. I didn't even have anything like that in my house if it wasn't up really high or in a cabinet that locked!
On Mother's Day when I was 5 my mom did an elaborate hair bun, curling tendrils around my face. But the WORST was a tendril from my widow's peak. This was all in preparation for a brunch at a "very" nice restaurant to celebrate Mother's Day. That single curl in the middle of my forehead was driving me crazy. Mom ignored my repeated pleas to "fix it". So I took matters into my own hands, promptly shaving the offending piece off, exhibiting 1½ inches of my white, shiny scalp! Needless to say upon seeing my solution, sheburst into tears, repeatedly asking, "Why would you do that? You looked so pretty!" Had to wear my hair in a side part till it grew back. As an adult I finally realized why she didn't fix the issue; my entire hairline is a serious of cowlick's (as well as other places) and my hair is naturally curly the longer it is. It was to my waist. But I'm certain if she'd explained it to me, I'd more than likely let it be.
Take comfort in the fact that you ARE raising independent little girls. They're still grinning!!
Oh dear, no comb over in the world is going to cover that up. Perhaps a nice hat is in order.
I think she kinda looks like Chucky . This right here would be my luck though sucks sometimes. You look at them and than you look at your self. Damn I am the worst parent right now. Shakes head and cry's about her daughters hair
They should pay her for advertising! I never thought that stuff worked personally. Or that it irritated the skin.
These comments are awful. This little one probably has alopecia areata or (God forbid) is enduring cancer treatment. No way this is caused by Nair.
I would think depilatories would work pretty well on hair that fine though?
Load More Replies... 
Why would you want to put such a sentiment out there? Yeah, the chunk of missing hair on top isn't the best look, but this isn't an ugly child and, even if I agreed the child was ugly, I can't understand why you'd publicly proclaim such a thing. The child could even see your comment someday.
Load More Replies... 
Even if Hart and Risley's study wasn’t perfect, the idea that a significant socioeconomic gap exists has been replicated by numerous studies.
In 2008, for instance, Meredith Rowe of Harvard University found that types of conversations do differ significantly between low- and high-income families – in part due to the differing levels of education reached by the parents in these groups.
If You Look Closely, You Can See My Son Hiding From Me
The Neighbourhood Kid Loves My Cat And Insists That My Cat Loves Her Back. This Picture Accurately Shows How Much Kitty Loves Her
My Baby Is Trying To Escape The Car To Play With A Baby In Another Car
Though a word gap can have lasting consequences, the good news is that all parents talk to their children at least sometimes. And if parents would focus more on the quality of interactions rather than quantity, then children could benefit.
The more social experiences they have, whether with their parents or with any other caregivers around them, the more they will learn.
Crying Because She Found Out Her Mum’s Real Name
How dare you, next you're telling me you had a whole life before her!
I Just Have To Post This So I Will Always Have The Memory
Me to my class: "Okay boys and girls, hang up your snacks so we can go into art class!" I laughed so hard! I love kindergarten!
Time To Renew
Playing Hide And Seek With A Toddler Is Always A Thrill
While the stress of day-to-day life can leave less time for talk and play, with a few subtle tweaks in how we speak to children – and how we listen to them – we can literally grow their brains for the better.
My Child Has Tons Of Toys And Is Playing With An Onion
I gave one of my granddaughters a real potato to play with as Mrs. Potatohead. She drew a face with a Sharpie and stuck old costume jewelry on it. Carried it around for days.
Just Found Her Chilling Here For Over An Hour
My Nephew Is Shooting For The Stars
"We'll Split The Loot 50/50"
No Stupid Questions. Just Stupid People
I asked my mom why I wasn't invited to her wedding, that took place two years before I was born
My GF Works At A Daycare
Gonna Save A Bunch Of Money On College
Well at least now you k ow he's capable of following instructions without asking, perfect for middle management lol.
A House Of God
My Little Sister vs. The Roomba
My Son Was 6 When He Was Helping Us Move. Each Year This Memory Pops Up And It’s A Family Favourite
Hide And Seek With My Niece
"Mommy, There's Green Goo Coming Out Of My Waffle!" -My 6-Year-Old Son
My Son Said He Was Hot And Wanted Ice Cream. This Is Not What I Expected
Imaginary Friends Vibes
My 10-Year-Old Brother Is Stupid As Hell
hmm the hint is hard to figure out, anyone know what the password is?
Baby Geniuses 2: Electric Boogaloo
My 4-Year-Old Won't Stop Laughing About This Donut Smiley Face That's Wearing Sunglasses And Has Two Mouths
My Nephew Wanted A Portrait Of George Washington. Thank Goodness He Didn’t Want A Portrait Of Ben Franklin
As someone who has worked as a bank teller, I can confirm that this bill is still acceptable. Someone brought in $200 dollars worth of 20’s that were torn right in half in exchange for new bills. He had thought he removed the cash from the envelope we put the money in. As long as each half of the bills serial number matches the other, and is legible, we just tape it together. If you’re really good, and have a steady hand, it’s almost not even noticeable. If the bill is in really bad shape, it’s sent back to the federal reserve as mutilated.
She Dressed Herself. It's Definitely Backward
girl genius may not be as genius as she thought, still a fine effort though
I Guess I Don’t Have To Worry About College With This One
If you are young enough not to get that concept, you should not always have a phone in your pocket
Me At 3 Years Old, Having A Meltdown, Because My Parents Sold Our Car, Little Blue
It was part of the family! Today you sell Little Blue, who says Little Taylor isn't next?
He Didn't Want His Shoes To Get Wet, So He Put Paper Bags On His Feet And Waded Into The Ocean
I am 20 and today I was this🤏🏻 much away from using hand-wash on tooth brush instead of toothpaste
At Age 8, I Achieved My Lifelong Dream Of Becoming A Piggy Bank. That's A €0.10 Coin On The Way Out
Note: this post originally had 133 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
I remember as a kid, there was this one time where I wanted the heater on, but my parents said no. So being a kid I said, "I'm not cold, the room's cold!"
😂 Won't someone please think of the poor room?
Load More Replies...
Yikes, y’all are so judgy. I don’t have kids, never wanted them, I’m just not a kid person. They can be annoying, infuriating and worrisome at times, like a drunk adult. I have always found it hard to talk to them, or hold babies, but also, it’s really hard for me to say “no”. BUT, we have NO idea who these people are, what their situations are, what their relationships are like, etc. so basically we know nothing about them, the parents, or who is even taking the picture. So why oh WHY must we judge the parents, or assume anything?! Geez, simmer down, this is supposed to be a fun post, and surely these people don’t want to be lectured about their parenting based on one photo!
These are not naughty kids. These are either a) normal kids or b) kids whose parents have apparently never learned the basic requirements of child supervision.
Oh, what about me? As a toddler I ate massive chunks of my wood crib.
Load More Replies...
Once as a kid I tried to fake being sick to go home early from school. I was caught almost immediately by my mother, not because I was horrible at lying, but because as soon as she left my room when she brought me home I started loudly celebrating and saying "I got home from school early!" She had barely even left my doorway.
Thank you, Bored Panda. Another 133 examples of why I really, really don't want children.
I love how watching kids in action really shows us how much we learn in our early years. They take so much literally and feel so passionately about just about everything. Much of their work in the early years is to explore and figure out how their world works. I find it fascinating.
I laughed so hard at these! I have one very distinct dumb memory from my childhood. I believed in "Mr. Pumpkin". For those of you who don't know, he who was this giant pumpkin that came alive on Halloween and handed out candy to the kids who finished their dinner (and vegetables). He was also letting you know you could start your trick-or-treating. It was literally just one of my parents ringing the doorbell, but since I wasn't allowed to open the door for strangers I never made it in time to see him before he made it back onto the roof! Also yes, it was a giant pumpkin decoration that the neighbors put up every year that my parents used to inspire the Mr. Pumpkin tale.
What makes this dumb... is that I also thought everyone believed in Mr. Pumpkin, almost like Santa Claus.
Load More Replies... 
When I was around 3 I thought that my dad, who was working for the British embassy in Athens, was going to London to work every day.
My sister was ironing clothes for school and burnt her hand she yelled to our mom, "I burned my hand on the iron!" Mom yelled back, "Put butter on it!" She put butter on the iron.
SO my sister.....when she was a kid loved people. She would hug people she didn't know and one day she went up to a MAN and said ¨I love you can we get married.¨ The guy was standing next to his wife and 3 kids.
Here's a magical shiny gold star for you! Do you want a trophy as well?
Load More Replies... I remember as a kid, there was this one time where I wanted the heater on, but my parents said no. So being a kid I said, "I'm not cold, the room's cold!"
😂 Won't someone please think of the poor room?
Load More Replies... Yikes, y’all are so judgy. I don’t have kids, never wanted them, I’m just not a kid person. They can be annoying, infuriating and worrisome at times, like a drunk adult. I have always found it hard to talk to them, or hold babies, but also, it’s really hard for me to say “no”. BUT, we have NO idea who these people are, what their situations are, what their relationships are like, etc. so basically we know nothing about them, the parents, or who is even taking the picture. So why oh WHY must we judge the parents, or assume anything?! Geez, simmer down, this is supposed to be a fun post, and surely these people don’t want to be lectured about their parenting based on one photo!
These are not naughty kids. These are either a) normal kids or b) kids whose parents have apparently never learned the basic requirements of child supervision.
Oh, what about me? As a toddler I ate massive chunks of my wood crib.
Load More Replies... Once as a kid I tried to fake being sick to go home early from school. I was caught almost immediately by my mother, not because I was horrible at lying, but because as soon as she left my room when she brought me home I started loudly celebrating and saying "I got home from school early!" She had barely even left my doorway.
Thank you, Bored Panda. Another 133 examples of why I really, really don't want children.
I love how watching kids in action really shows us how much we learn in our early years. They take so much literally and feel so passionately about just about everything. Much of their work in the early years is to explore and figure out how their world works. I find it fascinating.
I laughed so hard at these! I have one very distinct dumb memory from my childhood. I believed in "Mr. Pumpkin". For those of you who don't know, he who was this giant pumpkin that came alive on Halloween and handed out candy to the kids who finished their dinner (and vegetables). He was also letting you know you could start your trick-or-treating. It was literally just one of my parents ringing the doorbell, but since I wasn't allowed to open the door for strangers I never made it in time to see him before he made it back onto the roof! Also yes, it was a giant pumpkin decoration that the neighbors put up every year that my parents used to inspire the Mr. Pumpkin tale.
What makes this dumb... is that I also thought everyone believed in Mr. Pumpkin, almost like Santa Claus.
Load More Replies... When I was around 3 I thought that my dad, who was working for the British embassy in Athens, was going to London to work every day.
My sister was ironing clothes for school and burnt her hand she yelled to our mom, "I burned my hand on the iron!" Mom yelled back, "Put butter on it!" She put butter on the iron.
SO my sister.....when she was a kid loved people. She would hug people she didn't know and one day she went up to a MAN and said ¨I love you can we get married.¨ The guy was standing next to his wife and 3 kids.
Here's a magical shiny gold star for you! Do you want a trophy as well?
Load More Replies...