Parenting is a never-ending adventure. One day moms and dads might be fighting monsters under the bed, the other, hopping from furniture to furniture, avoiding the lava that has unexpectedly flooded the floor. Sometimes they get to play the role of a sage trying to answer the centuries-old question, will my toddler ever eat his veggies?
These are just a few of the many quests parents take upon in their day-to-day lives with kids. Luckily, some of them document and share fragments from it, which often results in some quite amusing accounts. We have combed through X (formerly Twitter) in search of the best of them and put them on this list for you today. So wait no longer, scroll down to find them, and enjoy the November edition of parenting posts of the month.
In order to delve deeper into the subtleties of parenting, Bored Panda got in touch with a Professor of Psychology at the University of Mary Washington, Miriam Liss, who was kind enough to answer a couple of our questions. You will find her thoughts in the text below.
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But not a FULL service dog, or he'd change the puppy for you!
Load More Replies...Too bad you don't have a Lab, they will clean up the baby themselves.
Nope! The louder, larger, and more useless it is, the deeper the discount!
I asked my mom after I had kids that I would appreciate if she gave the kids toys they could only have 2 pieces and not make any noise.
but make sure to look at the price tag thats hiding behind the ones that say "black friday deal"
Email back sorry as I'm only a caregiver I can not provide the equipment you ask for please ask one of the male teachers to provide many thanks
My daughter has been bullied a bit the last few weeks, the teacher tells her yesterday that "Maybe the boys laugh at you because they like you" I was not impressed.
It isn't allowed in most places, it's probably an offhand comment the teacher made but still inappropriate
Load More Replies...They hide in the corner not providing for society in a state of pure relax
Load More Replies...Watching your child grow from a little bundle of joy to a full-grown adult is arguably the greatest adventure of them all. Going through all stages with the kid, from helping them to formulate their very first words to consoling them through the first—and likely the second, maybe even a couple after that—heartbreak, among many other things, is truly a rollercoaster of emotions.
But even with its ups and downs, the majority of moms and dads seem to enjoy the experience. Pew Research Center’s (PRC) recent study revealed that four-in-five parents find it not only enjoyable but rewarding, too.
Totally not worth the effort. You'll get screamed on and it will be pointed out to you in a very unpolite way that her perfect and soon to be successful daughter is absolutely none of your concern.
You ever stop to think that your view is the precise reason society has become some a dumpster fire? Self defeating cowards. You see something is going in a bad direction, and YOU have the opportunity to cause a change in course....but you're more worried about what could happen to you in the short term. "Someone might make loud noises....AT ME! For minutes! Nah....let another garbage person flourish, i'll just be over here telling myself what a good person i am for recognizing something i didn't do anything about" Shameful.
Load More Replies...Unfortunately, grown-up mean girls exist in every professional field -- lawyers, professors, nurses, engineers, etc. There's no academic degree, job title, or even age level that guarantees someone won't indulge in mean girl behavior. I used to work in senior citizen communities and witnessed 80-something mean girls still trying to set themselves up as the "cool crowd." (And, yes, there are mean boys, too, but people usually just call them bullies, or often excuse their mean behavior on the basis of gender)
As someone who was bullied, people not understanding doesn’t lead to any progress. My country is actually making a decent effort with anti-bullying initiatives these days and that has included finding out why some kids bully other kids and what kind of intervention can be done.
Load More Replies...I recently made a new friend - he is a slob ( his car is gross) - but the good thing - he wont criticize my clutter.
I clean for hours and still say excuse the mess, it's just something you say lol
Not sure why it’s relevant but the fact that it says “mom” and not “mum” tells me it’s probably not British.
Load More Replies...Pew Research Center also revealed that despite finding it rewarding, quite a few people say it’s tiring or stressful most or all of the time. Understandably so; from the moment their child is born, parents typically try their best to take care of their little one, which can get draining at times.
That is because one can only listen to the happy-go-lucky songs of children's cartoons so many times; they can’t also be in the mood for hide and seek or ‘the floor is lava’ 24/7.
To make matters worse, many parents would likely agree that from the moment their baby enters this world, it’s difficult not to worry about them; and such anxiety seems to accompany every step of their child’s way through life. All of that leads to more than 40% of parents feeling tired and roughly 30% feeling stressed, PRC reports.
My kids' [lack of] power of observation is definitely a hereditary trait from their dad...
Load More Replies...My wife has been complaining about this to me recently, *about* me. I never realised until she brought it up, and I'm trying to break the habit, but everytime I'm looking for something, as I'm looking for it, I'll ask "Where is the ______?", almost as a reflex. I guess I mean "Have you seen______?", but it's starting to really annoy her, so I'm trying to change.
Half the time I cannot find something it's because my wife put it away someplace.
I had a husband that was always asking where stuff was - it was ALWAYS UNDER something, he just never bothered to look. AH, glad I dumped him.
I'm very organized and usually know where anything is. My husband asks if we have more ketchup. In the pantry, middle shelf back right. "It's not here". Oh, really (because that's exactly where I put it) "Did you LOOK look or did you Man Look?" Nevermind, I found it. Me: Dumbass.
“Butter? It’s in the fridge. Top shelf behind ketchup. Look under the cheese.” “Hairpins? I saw one on the floor behind the sofa in front of the window.” “The other sock like that? Look in your room under your desk.”v “Your hat? You left it either at work or it’s in your pocket. Not that one, the other one.” “You guys have to learn to keep track of your things! How am I supposed to know where everything is?!”
Ok guys I can’t be the only parent here. Parents talk secretly behind their kids’ back, so there’s a very good chance that he got a memo informing that he was going to get a pie in the face and be very surprised AND quite amused.
Yeah, I'm surprised by the commenters who assumed the dad didn't know about it.
Load More Replies...I mean - it's a pie not amputation. If you want take a pie in the face for her - you are not her father.
Oh my god, are you serious? Imagine rewarding your child with something goofy and funny that they understand is a one time thing to reward the hard work and courage. Oh my God it would be so awful. Oh no, what if it works well and your family decides it’s some thing fun that works for them and becomes a chairs family tradition? Oh no. Imagine coming home from an exhausting day at work and bringing joy and laughter to your family, and realizing why you worked so hard in the first place?
Load More Replies...My thoughts exactly. Obviously some kind of monster.
Load More Replies...Nope. Love raisins. Love my Moms cold „cheese“ cake with raisins and Kaiserschmarrn and so many things with raisins.
Ooh you just reminded me, the cheesecake I baked last week must be eaten by today. Must get to work! 😋
Load More Replies...Respondents of the PRC’s survey agreed that parenthood is not easy. For some, it might feel like a job and likely the hardest one there is, as the vast majority of parents admitted it was more difficult than they anticipated.
That might be one of the reasons some people choose to have less children (or not to have them at all), consequently making families smaller than they were back in the day.
Statista revealed that the average number of people per family in the 1960s, for instance, was around 3.67, but it has been decreasing steadily over the years, reaching the lowest point of 3.13 in the early 2000s—more or less where it stood just a couple of years ago in 2021, too.
By the 3rd you just shurg and leave them picking stuff out of the bin lol s/
So my mom took a class when she had her first child. The taught her to boil water, let it cool, take a cotton ball, wipe one eye, throw away cotton ball. Repeat with other eye and rest of face. By the time i , the third child came along, it was a cloth, tap water and wipe the whole face.
Holding out the sweets programs in their brains that sweets are special. They will end up spooning sugar from the bag, like an animal.
Yes, I can agree on that. Except animals don't use spoons.
Load More Replies...I have 5, I'm happy if they eat their Mac and cheese before their cake!
I remember not letting my son have sugar first three years. HA much good it just did me! Haha
My late country grandmother-in-law used to say, if she saw you picking out a wedgie, “Is your a*s chewing rag?”(when she was 80 or so)
She sounds like a legend. R.I.P.
Load More Replies...When my daughter was 4, I picked her up when she was wearing her Halloween clown costume which was shaped like an upside down A. The costume went straight up her bum and she said, lol, " Mama you're chokin my butt!". I almost dropped her
Growing up if someone was caught picking a wedgie or picking their nose someone would ask "Are you digging for gold?" And sometimes if a kid was brave enough would respond with, "yes I am, did you want me to save you some? Or you want a nugget?" Lol
Reminds me of a line from The Royle Family…These underpants cost a pound and there's fifty pence worth up me a**e!
The size of one’s family has seemingly changed over the years, but what about the ways of parenting itself, you might wonder? Well, it’s probably not that surprising that the way people view their own upbringing differs with each family.
While some people swear to learn from their parents’ mistakes and not to repeat them themselves, others view their upbringing as an example of how to raise their own children. And the scales seem to stand nearly even, with just 1% in favor of those seeking a different route from the one their parents took; surveys reveal that 43% would raise kids similarly to how they were raised, while 44% wouldn’t.
I missed out on this. My firstborn would immediately stuff said socks into his mouth. I was afraid he would choke so both my kids spent their first winters in sleeper suits...
My daughter was those bunting suits with fold over mittens 👍
Load More Replies...You will shortly discover an even greater joy: Removing shoes and socks, and flinging them in every direction. Especially when outside the house. Toddler socks dropped on the pavement, toddler socks dropped in the supermarket. Toddler bare feet sticking up in the pushchair, with strangers asking "Don't his feet get cold?" and "Why doesn't mummy put shoes on you?" Safety pin those socks to trouser hems, or you'll never see them again.
With mine it was hats. He refused to wear one and would immediately rip it right off. His great grandmother had a fit saying he was going to catch cold. Was I supposed to staple the damn hat to his head? She actually said "in my day children wore hats". Maybe in her day they tied those kids' hands behind their backs?
Load More Replies...when you put it that way......... it makes rethink my whole entire life.
I really hope he did. That's too big of a proud moment to not give the kid more recognition
Load More Replies...Alternate take: It teaches a child that they are trusted. Treating someone as though they're trustworthy is one of the most effective ways to make them actually *be* trustworthy. Of course you verify when it really matters, but checking on *everything* your kid says they did will teach them that you don't trust them, which will make them hide things from you.
Load More Replies...“Our social world has changed since a generation ago. Parents who let their children walk alone to school are accused of neglect; we don’t live in neighborhoods where children are encouraged to run and play and assume that they will be okay, so parents have been trained to watch and monitor their children to a greater extent than a generation ago,” Professor of Psychology Miriam Liss told Bored Panda, expanding on some of the main differences in regards to raising children between now and then.
I thought the moms got the last broken piece. I need to rethink my role.
Lol that was my mom. If we went out to dinner at a fancy restaurant, she'd smuggle in ketchup.
“Another factor is the rise of social media,” Prof. Liss added. “On social media one can constantly see other people’s high-achieving children and parenting successes—no one posts the struggles—so parents can often feel as though their children are falling behind and feel as though they need to do what they can in order to help them succeed.”
Doesn't make much sense unless we at least know which song she is referring to.
There's a scene in "Secret Life of Pets" where the rabbit says "buck teeth and a cotton tail!" All 3 of my kids thought he was saying "butt cheeks and a cotton tail."
I just googled this song. I've never heard of neither the artist nor the song. It doesn't sound like a song fit for kids, with all the sexualized lyrics and violence. Whoever plays that for their kids -we live in very different worlds.
Not sure if this post was misinterpreted, but my take was that, the little girl thought that everytime someone said they had a tummy ache, that they were actually saying they had a tummy egg.
Get ready for when you have a tummyegg for a week out of every month 😭
Well I mean eggs release during periods so... EDIT: y'all chill. i was incorrect okay everyone makes mistakes. y'all are argueing over something a middle schooler said and it's kinda sad .
Yeah, but it's not like periods cau-- oh, wait. It's EXACTLY like periods cause tummy aches, isn't it?
Load More Replies...My daughter always behaved beautifully when out of the house, in the home: not so much. I was ok with it.
It means you're doing it right. They know and understand what it is you want them to say/do. And they also feel safe enough at home to be their genuine selves, aka possessed by the devil.
Load More Replies...Had my son go stay at a babysitters house and she wasn't sure she would take him as he was an 'only' child (age 8 or so), but when we went to pick him up she just raved about him - he was so helpful with the other kids and so nice to be around. I'm SOOOO PROUD of the son I raised!!!!!
When it comes to the things parents now would approach differently, the matters of love and relationships stand out the most. Nearly 44% of the surveyed moms and dads wouldn’t want to take the same route their parents did regarding it and say they would try to show more love and affection to their children than they received themselves.
As for the things they would do the same way, adults with children nowadays would like to stick to the same values and beliefs that were instilled in them as kids.
For me it was "Your brother put [object name] in your room for you". 50/50 chance I'd find him jumping on my bed
Unfortunately I share a room so I have to deal with that 24/7
Kudos on raising your kid to verbalize what her limits are.
Icl harry potter ain't even that good. I don't get the obsession
Dear Colt Winkler, I'm not sure but it would appear that you have had some sort of breakdown. I'm not having a go at the meme from Colt, just the insane amount of letters, text and numbers, that it appears needed to take you to it.
Load More Replies...An average running speed for an 8 year old and even many adults I'm sure would be around 5-10 miles per hour...
The issue is the way it was stated made it seem she thinks 5 is bigger than 10
Load More Replies...The matter of instilling certain values in children seems to be as relevant now as it ever was. That’s why quite a few moms and dads out there hope their kids will become honest and ethical human beings, first and foremost.
They also hope their little ones grow up to be hardworking and helpful people, Pew Research Center reports; being tolerant and ambitious are also on the list.
What a older kid heard: Tell me about all the pokemons from all the different regions and how they evolve.
What the moody teen heard: tell me about everything that is wrong
Load More Replies...I was the opposite. When someone got sick when I was a kid, I'd stay the heck away from them!
I married a drummer...... You REALLY don't want cymbals at 4 am
Load More Replies...I start by gently singing his name. If that doesn't work I start dancing and loudly singsing"get. That. Butt outta bed. Uh uh. That butt outta bed..." we have fun 😁
World cup in South Africa - 2010 They still are a big thing in Africa.
Load More Replies...My dad would swing the door open and scream "get up now". He was the only one who could get me up on time.
Metal whistle, then bang it around a bit in a pot. Guarantee you WILL wake up! It was so loud when my drunk dad did this that the telemarketer hung up before his pitch. I felt bad for the poor guy.
My 3 kids sleep in the same room and I usually just burst in half-yelling "goodmorning kiddos! It's time to get up!" And then I pick one to be the first I help get dressed and I tickle them for a while and then they will finally do as I say so i can help them get dressed and then that dressed kid will talk and talk while I try to wake up the 2nd kid and tickle them and help them get dressed, and thenthey talk and talk while I proceed to the 3rd kid. It's the same cycle every day. Lol. But I am sick of it. I would love to just say the hello kiddies-part and then having them just wake up and put on their clothes while I go downstairs and do other things. But I'm just an ungrateful parent. It's good that things are going as well as they are. I just want better... 🙄
It’s safe to assume that both people with and without children can find these X posts quite entertaining. They perfectly sum up just how witty and adventurous some of the little ones are, as well as why their parents are often understandably tired.
If you’d like to browse more of such accounts, check out the September edition of the best parenting posts of the month or click here for some amusing posts from the summer.
Maybe she's just being nice to the boys?? Idk being polite is good
So, next year, you and one of your friends can send her a video of the same!
I love how BP steals content from Twitter and reddit to make their listicles and then puts their watermark on everything like they actually created something.
I seriously need to find better grandparents for my kid. His is nothing like this.
As a grandparent to three (so far), I'm sorry for you, and your son. Every child should have grandparents that think he or she is the best thing ever.
Load More Replies...It's ok!!!! Oh and you REALLY don't want to know where the nugget was from....
Or the same damn name as every other parent in America. Have a care for the kid in 1st grade. Liam, Liam, Olivia, Liam, Olivia, Liam, Olivia, Sophia, Liam, Liam, Bernie, Liam, Olivia
I was one of four with my name in my grade at school and it never worried me.
Load More Replies...Seriously, no joke First boy was named "Marvelous Cynthia" and the second girl was named "Genius" but spelled incorrectly.
Ooh, I feel this. I legally changed my name when I was an adult, as I hated the name my parents gave me.
Next time try scratch and sniff so they grab your face and tell you that you smell like stuff.
I have alarms on my phone that sounds every 15min. So there's a whole tradition now saying 1. The school bus is here in 30min 2. The school bus is here in 15 min 3. The school bus is here in about 10min now. Put on your shoes 4. The school bus is here in a few min. Go outside. 5. (Kid coming inside again) Argh! Go outside again! "But moooom" No! Your bus is almost here! Go outside. Now! "But moooom... my glove won't get on my hand. You must help me!" *helps kid* *kid runs outside and just barely catches the bus* *myblood pressure gets back to normal*. And we do this almost every morning!
Same - it's been 10 long years now, and it's worse every time I look......
Want sticker shock, look up how much the house you grew up in is worth now.😲
there is a difference between BEST BEFORE-----BEST SOLD BY----- and EXPIRES ON
And even those are usually meaningless because there aren't any regulations on them.
Load More Replies...1984 I found , and threw out, the gravy browning with an expiry date in the 50s. Parents married and moved from UK to Spain early 60s. Returned to UK and had 4 homes taking this with them each time. Mum had no help packing to move, even when they added kids.
Omg my adult kids do this!! They get all uppity and say, very pointedly, "This dressing went bad two months ago!" My response is usually along the lines of, "See what you kids did to me? My eyesight is failing because I can't even read the dates on the bottle, and all my money has been sucked out of me so I can't buy new dressings...."
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/food-product-dating
Yeah, I just finished a bottle of salad dressing that expired in 2015, so there's that.
Yeah it’s not that bad. And, EMOJI MOVIE?? Hello??
Load More Replies...Please just go to your room and watch something, anything, I don't care what it is as long as you are in some other room you little heathen.
It was through his love for Nancy Drew and The Famous Five.
Load More Replies...Omg he know about the mystery of sporgelborb! we must vote him for president because he know bout spokborb and partick.
Or Belgium or Switzerland or Canada or Algeria, Gabon, Senegal…
Load More Replies...Haha! My 4yo keeps asking me for words in Finnish. so we use the google translate a lot with the voice-thing pronouncing the words. What she actually means is words on our local dialect (fynsk. Finnish in Danish is finsk...). But I am going all in for her and I wouldn't be surprised if we end up as a family of five that just randomly learns Finnish fluently. 🤷♀️
fr tho lîke as a teenage girl, i love taylor swift a lot but all my friends are just...
This sweatshirt fits my cozywave aesthetic. Total casualcore vibes.
I tried but i haven't heard the song in a while so it was so off tune,🤣😭
Load More Replies...For the 1st time in idk how long I'm the first one in my house ill. Help me...
I get angry if someone sits in "my" seat when get on the bus...
I hate this more than anything. Happens all the time. I want to scream back, "Well, looks like you can figure out what f*****g time it is yourself next time!" We add that to the litany of things, "dad wants to say but doesn't"
At the risk of sounding like a parent-shamer: Don't ever set the "don't tell ____" precedent. "No secrets" should be policy! We don't even use the word "secret" in our household. Predators rely on these type of precedents existing to continue their abuse. Instead, replace "secret" with "surprise" when possible (even in stories). Also, when they're older, discuss how "we don't have secrets in our house to keep [you] safe." Source: my journalist SIL did an investigative piece and learned this from some of the experts.
I've got four and they can hear a crumb hit the floor from across the room
Load More Replies...So my school goes from preschool to eigth grade so the the grade I'm in (which is in middle school) has to be paired up with a kindergartener for a "buddies" program. Since there's too many kids in my grade we are also partnered up with one of our peers to share a buddy. My girl (who's an actually a sweetheart) is really into princesses and c**p. So when we were on the playground she was like "Let's play princesses. I'm the princess" So when I asked where her castle is she looked me dead in the eye and said "You're my castle" I can't rn with 5 y/os.
When my sister learned about the dangers of alcohol, when she was about 11, she swore she would never drink it and made fun of us for doing it. Now, out of my siblings and I, she drinks the most!
I don't believe I've ever known anyone with kids who had a "weekend without much to do."
I feel this so much. I've said it on other posts but no tis this thread. The bus gets here at 7:35am. Both of my youngest are in middle school (Son, 13yo, 8th grade and daughter 12yo, 7th grade) so they ride the same bus. I wake them up at 6:30am. Then again at 6:45am, then again at 7:00am. Once they both rise from the sleeping death, my daughter will hop to it and be ready by 7:25am at which point I will remind her to maybe brush her teeth or brush her hair...nothing big time. However my SON will wander down to eat breakfast with a blanket around him at 7:15 and then rush out the door at 7:34am.
My bus got in at 8.00 and it was a 10 minute walk to the stop. I would get up at 6.30 to make sure I was ready and at the stop at least 5 mins early. Any left over time I would read (actually I sometimes read while walking). My brother on the other hand, chose to ride his bike instead, which took half an hour. He should have gotten there by 8.30, but was always 10mins or so late, as he got up at 7.45 and always showered in the morning!
Load More Replies...as a teenager, my stepmom bought me only algebra books for christmas and my dad just bought me tiny green plastic army men because thats what every 14 yo girl wants obviously
I never got a laugh with 'here in body, but not in mind or spirit'...
Given wine. Like watered. But with wine.
Load More Replies...When I was a teenager, my mum said she used to use a coat hanger to zip her jeans!
I'd be more confused than mad. What sort of teenagers r y'all having-? I love my parents and hugs but not while I'm still in bed that's awkward positioning cause I'm in a bunk bed
That's because they are. Physics experiments show you are taller lying down than standing up. Gravity works.
It's more interests vs chores and short vs long term memory. It's normal for everyone :)
People, all these are meant to be funny. Please take them in that vein. Again, these are not meant to be serious. Develop a sense of humor and laugh, OK?
But why? The younger kid isn't the older kid's responsibility. They're your responsibility.
ever heard of date night? Or time alone with your spouse to just run to the grocery store together? I have 5 kids, 3 from a previous marriage and 2 with my current wife. They are 13yo and 12yo, so they don't really "watch" each other but growing up I had to watch my two younger siblings at times and I'm GenX.
Load More Replies...Yeah. I’m the oldest of 7. Gets better when the oldest can drive your kids too. And the dad is constantly on work trips. I hate it. Hateeeeee. I’m so tired.
A tad nicer than 'I have not had enough coffee for you to talk this much'
Could be an indicator of tritanomaly. Tritanomaly makes it hard to tell the difference between blue and green and between yellow and red. Could be a kid being a kid.
Mine chose dark red. When she was done my toes looked like the paper shedder and I had an argument
I'm sure a psychologist somewhere is telling you how proud you need to be of a child who doesn't colour within the lines :)
Load More Replies...She may be colorblind. My dad didn't figure it out until his 60s when we were arguing about what color he had just painted his office.
Mine didn't want to listen to the 'Yelling with a beat" either. However, she found a Duran Duran CD and thought they were pretty good. Ugh
Relatable, my 8 year old was allowed to buy fireworks (I was paying) and he said: this is enough. Who exchanged my boy for this, this, monstrosity???
There's an arrow next to the pump symbol on the petrol gauge that tells you where the tank is.
In my car you'd need binoculars to see it and I'm not about to act like a loon in front of a full gas station bending down in my seat to squint at it for five minutes. And if I look for the arrow ahead of time, well, let's just say the other people driving don't exactly appreciate that.
Load More Replies...For some reason my son now has a thing for food hygiene rating stickers. He points them out whenever he sees them. The school canteen has a rating of 4 out of 5 so he needed some convincing that the food he has been eating for the last 4 years is perfectly safe. This morning he surpassed himself. We get to school as normal and for reasons he says in a fairly loud voice "In the beginning, I came out of mummy's vagina." Thankfully there was not that many people there at the time.
God forbid "people" hear your kid say the V-word? Or why would this be an embarrassing moment?
Load More Replies...Some people with children also ask themselves that question...
Load More Replies...Some of these made me cringe because the parents thought that what they wrote was cute or funny, when I read it differently. Could be the parent was trying to be funny, but . . .
I think I'm near a farm or something is suspicious with what some of these children said, either way I smell b******t.
For some reason my son now has a thing for food hygiene rating stickers. He points them out whenever he sees them. The school canteen has a rating of 4 out of 5 so he needed some convincing that the food he has been eating for the last 4 years is perfectly safe. This morning he surpassed himself. We get to school as normal and for reasons he says in a fairly loud voice "In the beginning, I came out of mummy's vagina." Thankfully there was not that many people there at the time.
God forbid "people" hear your kid say the V-word? Or why would this be an embarrassing moment?
Load More Replies...Some people with children also ask themselves that question...
Load More Replies...Some of these made me cringe because the parents thought that what they wrote was cute or funny, when I read it differently. Could be the parent was trying to be funny, but . . .
I think I'm near a farm or something is suspicious with what some of these children said, either way I smell b******t.
