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.
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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 JalapeƱos And Black Olives
That Went Downhill Fast
We Found My Wifeās Phone In The Toilet Yesterday. We Werenāt 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 Wasnāt 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 Doesnāt 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 Dadās Hair Gel
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
Ears are up too. Just because kitty has resting murder face doesn't mean they don't enjoy tge affection.
Load More Replies...When I was tiny, as in barely walking, I got a kitten, and we grew up together. He turned out to be a monster long hair ginger who let me dress him in doll clothes and push him in my stroller around the neighborhood. He also let me carry him, with no objection, under my arms and literally wore the fur shorter under his legs. He slept with me and followed me everywhere. When I was 4, we moved out of state, and we couldn't bring him. My good neighbor, Shorty, took him and sent me cards with his paw prints. I still miss my Milky, and I am 65.
Thatās a sad but wonderful story. Iām glad you guys had a neighbor who took him in and could keep you updated :)
Load More Replies...A genuinely angry cat can easily turn your hands into a bloody mess... so I guess Kitty is just mildly annoyed, at worst.
Don't let your child harassing animals. That's not ok. Don't take picture, tell them to stop !
I mean the fact he's putting up with it means he's either incredibly zen or he really does like her.
Yeah, good luck having an adult hold a cat who doesn't want to be held, let alone a kid.
Load More Replies...This cat is pissed, but not at the kid. Cats know that kids are like kitten. This cat is pissed at his human servant who lets this abominable situation go on, and even takes pictures! Cats really know that kids are not responsible. I was playing with my three year old on a rug, and the cat lay beside us. Kids leg shoots out and hits the cat. Cat feels betrayed, looks murderous at kid, and hits MY hand before stomping off.
I mean, my cat punishes me for what my dog does. Thatās expected
Load More Replies...I can actually feel the love. Having owned a very judgemental cat myself. The loves there, deep deep down but i promise you he loves her
That's not an angry face though, even if for us humans it might seem like it. Cats' facial expressions aren't the same as ours. Narrow eyes and forward & VERY slightly down/to the side pointing ears both signal relaxation (ears pointing properly sideways means irritation). This isn't an angry face at all, it's a content one, so the kid is probably right!
Let's be completely clear - if the cat didn't want to be toted around by the kid, the cat would not be toted around by the kid. The cat's fine with it, and may actually like it. It needs to be reiterated that an animal's facial expression often doesn't reflect what it would mean in a human.
Atleast the cat tolerates her. Could be a whole lot worse. Claws a scratching...
To be fair, to have that expression while being manhandled by a small child and *not* mauling them probably is a sign of love.
Cats generally look furious, and like they want to kill you, when they're happiest. Truth.
Once looked out our front windows and saw the toddler who lived across the street making his way across his yard with our large male cat clutched under the front legs, dragging his feet on the grass. He had the same "He has to put me down sooner or later" expression. As soon as the kiddo let go, cat shot across the street where I had the open door waiting for him.
My nieces traumatized my cats. Even years later, anytime a little girl would approach the cats, they would RUN.
You'll know when kitty has had enough when the child comes back shredded.
My old cat was like this with children. He would just go limp and let them carry him.. So sweet and accommodating.
Good kitty! Yesterday I let my "Cat who likes to visit me everyday to be fed" outside. As I was speaking to his Auntie, out of the corner of my eye I see this kid (8-12) trying to corner Bartholomew. I immediately called out to him to "be nice to the kitty. You could get hurt, and it's very scary for him when someone who's bigger is chasing him! So no chasing him or any other kitty okay?!" His response, "I'm going to chase the kitty!" & then proceeded to do so! This time I yelled " STOP", you don't want me chasing you do you? Cause I guarantee you won't like it!" Then I firmly stated "DO NOT EVER chase my cat's or anyone else's... you got it? You will NOT like the consequences! ". This whole time his Auntie, Uncle and Grandma are standing outside still, they never said ONE WORD, to me, to their kid. Just waved and went back inside.
This made me laugh til I cried. Absolutely perfect... or purrfect.
They haven't seen this picture yet, it probably will break their heart
The look that says "Get This Thing Off Of ME,or I'm about to shred this kid like cheese; ya better do something!š
Kids think all animal love them that why it can be dangerous sometimes. Sometimes it good to let them learn other times it can be quite hard to explain. Kids are so innocent sometimes they don't think anything is scary or they find something cute that should be scary. Or they find it funny because they don't know it scary.
I think the cat loves food if anything. That's a big (adorable) kitty
"It Really Really Hurts"
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 Mumās 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 Itās 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 Didnāt 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 20ās 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 youāre really good, and have a steady hand, itās almost not even noticeable. If the bill is in really bad shape, itās 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 Donāt 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 thisš¤š» 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 ā¬0.10 Coin On The Way Out
Note: this post originally had 133 images. Itās 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!"
š Won't someone please think of the poor room?
Load More Replies...Yikes, yāall are so judgy. I donāt have kids, never wanted them, Iām 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, itās really hard for me to say ānoā. 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 donāt 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 ĀØI love you can we get married.ĀØ 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!"
š Won't someone please think of the poor room?
Load More Replies...Yikes, yāall are so judgy. I donāt have kids, never wanted them, Iām 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, itās really hard for me to say ānoā. 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 donāt 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 ĀØI love you can we get married.ĀØ 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...