“My Kids Will Eat Whatever We’re Eating!”: People Are Sharing 30 ‘Parenting Fantasies’ That Just Didn’t Work Out
Nearly every soon-to-be parent has a pretty clear idea of how they will raise their kids. Some fantasize about a screen-free childhood, while others imagine their kids agreeing with every word they say. But the truth is, nothing changes their approach to parenting more like actually having tiny humans coming into this world. Because as every experienced parent knows, reality quickly kicks in when you have to deal with their shenanigans all day, every day.
Well, writer and illustrator Aubrey Hirsch can relate. A few days ago, she took to Twitter to ask fellow moms and dads about the parenting fantasies they gave up on "swiftly and completely" after having kids. She kicked off the thread by revealing her own dream that quickly got shattered: "My kids will eat whatever we're eating!"
Her question resonated with hundreds of parents who wasted no time offering their own hilarious experiences. We at Bored Panda have gathered some of the best responses from the thread, and we hope you'll find comfort in knowing that ditching your ideals is not that big of a deal. Scroll down to read these funny and relatable tweets, and be sure to share your own stories with us in the comments, we’d love to hear them!
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Yup. They haven't eaten ANYTHING good for them for ages. Then......just eat any old c**p as long as it's food. Very worrying time. It does get better.
While welcoming the little ones into this world is extremely rewarding, raising these tiny bundles of joy is far from an easy task. Sure, it's easy for parents to come up with certain ideas while they are expecting and fantasize about what kind of role models they would be to their kids. But even the most level-headed people feel confused after how much children can turn their life upside down. Luckily, that doesn't stop them from doing everything in their power to do what’s best for their kids.
Mom had one on me in the 80's because I was a wanderer and without fail would always either get lost or hide. It saved her alot of anxiety with me
Parents all over the world deserve everyone’s respect for bending over backward to mold kind, smart, and simply decent human beings. But every now and then, they inevitably start to feel overwhelmed and even confused by their own actions. So if moms and dads want to keep their minds healthy and create positive relationships with their kids, they should try to set some ground rules and boundaries.
To learn more about household rules and maintaining a healthy balance when raising children, we previously reached out to Dr. Sarah Mundy, Consultant Clinical Psychologist and author of Parenting Through Stories. She explained to us in an interview that one of the main jobs parents have is to guide their kids. They must keep them safe and healthy and support them to engage in life. To do this, they also have to teach them to lead their own fulfilling lives, and setting boundaries is one way of achieving that.
Yep. Or try to travel with kids.... 10x more expensive and with all that extra work. No, I absolutely don't do it as frequently as I thought I would.
I fondly remember the EP-format VHS tape of old cartoons made by a relative who had cable TV. It seemed to have worked.
“It’s important that boundaries and rules are delivered with warmth and empathy,” Dr. Mundy told Bored Panda. “We are helping our children understand what they have been developed — not as a punishment but as a way of helping our children learn. After all, discipline means to teach, not punish.”
Once children become a little older, parents can start to involve them in creating rules themselves. Dr. Mundy said that more authoritative parents often allow autonomy and encourage independence whilst also setting clear limits on their kids’ behavior. “Children with authoritative parents tend to be more confident, have better emotional regulation and find life easier than those who have parents who are overly authoritarian (‘It’s my way or the high way’) or permissive (‘Just do whatever you want’).”
Yeah. This is a total nope. Getting sleep? What is that? Especially on baby #2
However, some kids and teenagers have a rebellious side and often push the limits by misbehaving. While this can make parents' lives a bit complicated, children are much more likely to respect household rules if they understand their purpose and know they were set with good intentions, the psychologist argued. “Have a positive relationship with them,” she said. “The more playfulness you have in your relationship with your child, the more you listen to and support them, the more likely they are to follow your boundaries (with a bit of push and pull, of course!).”
When they are older - yes. Like after the first year. Best way to avoid tantrums. Newborns and babies - no, especially not newborns, it's easier to just follow their cues.
But sticking to the rules is not always easy, not even for the parents themselves. “As a parent, I sometimes set unobtainable boundaries (normally when I’m stressed and my children aren’t listening to me) only to have to renege on them,” Dr. Mundy recounted. She said it’s best to avoid going “in gung-ho” when something isn’t going your way and you’re not as emotionally stable as you want to be. “Such emotional states aren’t conducive to thinking straight!”
Truth. Wearing pants when we're not going anywhere is not worth the fight.
LOL! I feel this! I absolutely love to read and, therefore, wanted to instill this love in my own kids. I did alllll the things that the parenting articles said would raise a reader...and no. Neither one of them likes to read! (They're 19 and 22 now!)
Ah, parenting articles. I remember when my first niece was born, the doctor literally took a parenting magazine out of my sister's hands and said, "Just keep her warm. Keep her fed. Love her, and don't forget to water her. Everything else will work out how it's supposed to.
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Why is it sad? Sometimes kids don't learn best by reading. My now 9yo really struggled in the beginning until we started using puzzles and turning it into games (namely D&D dungeons 😂); now she's reading at a high school level. My 3yo, on the other hand, is already starting to read and recognize his favorite words "trucks" and "trains." It's highly individual.
Im walking a tightrope with my kindergartner. She loves to learn and is excited to read, but on her terms. She likes the Bob books and sight word bingo, but if I try to encourage it too much, she'll turn against it. I've settled into modeling my love of reading and going to the library often and offering to teach her or read to her and let it be her choice. She does love to come up with stories though, so we do a lot of story cubes. I also listen to a lot of audiobooks around her.
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Usually if you force it on them theyvwill go against it. It becomes a "chore" rather than a hobby. Its better to let them discover their interests on their own
Both my husband and I love to read and read a lot. Our daughter noticed I always had a book with me, early in her life. She's 26 and reads only things on the computer, never a book. Our son (24) reads on occasion. He even asks for books as gifts (he knows he'll always get them too. LOL). I worked as an elementary school librarian for a while in our town. The teachers (in our school) required reading and they would pick guidelines so the kids would try different types of books. One week it would be non-fiction, then historical fiction etc. Usually the selections coincided with lesson plans. We had many developing readers. Unfortunately, this type of teaching ended in our school. Once they moved on to middle school the only reading my kids did was while researching a subject on the computer.
My child is really really into music toys and music on tablet and he likes math. Its like they said lets create a child with the opposite skill set and interests as mom so they can learn from each other. He is 6 and could not be bothered to pick up a crayon or a puzzle or clay. I have degrees in art and design. In school I shyed away from math, and was terrible at band
I have 2, both legal adults at this point, and my oldest reads, and my youngest only reads when she's sick or was grounded and had no other choice (when she was young enough to be grounded). As a voracious reader myself, not sure how that happened, but it's an interesting experiment lol
I was a reading teacher and had an extensive library of various age appropriate (ie books for prereaders up to 12 year olds) and while one kid is in college degree set for creative writing. I have written children's books as well, but my other ADHD and dyslexic kid...nope, he did read every Garfield book I had, but that was about it until after high school. Now in his 30s he reads when he needs to, or when point him to a book that sufficiently grabs his attention and imagination. Fortunately I'm good at finding those. Now if he just had time to read as he is working very hard at his career...a common problem these days.
I love to read. I learned to read and write before I went to school and was a college level reader by 3rd grade. I wanted my kids to enjoy the fantasy book world or even history books as much as I did. My 7 year old is in mandatory summer school because he can't read at all, not for a lack of trying. He's getting better.
Teaching them to read gives me mixed feeling. On the one hand discussing books is fun and if want them to maintain our excess their reading level like I did. On the other hand, I read a lot because I was intentionally sheltered for RimWorld being a girl and no one in my house had time to play with me , then I found that good grades got me attention which encouraged me to work harder academically but almost completely neglect socializing and my peers, so I wouldn't say my love of reading came from the best place. More like I love to read because I didn't like where I was, so if my kid liked to read I'm pretty sure if be paranoid they were trying to escape reality as fiercely as I was.
Haha, I read 164 books in 2021, my 3 boys, now 29, 26 and 23 have not read that many between them..EVER......
My child refused to read anything that wasn’t fact. That went well at school. “NOT”
I started mine early, at 9 months. Read to him EVERY night before bed. As he grew older, I continued with my own reading before bed with him next to me reading his own book. He actually became a voracious reader. He hadn't been introduced to the smartphone or other devices, except Disney channel. Then, at the age of 15, I got him a smartphone. That was the beginning of the end of actual reading. Now he reads Reddit.
Yes! My daughter loves trying to read and write. My son LOATHES anything to do with it. The only way I can get him to try is by telling him he won't be able to do readable math problems or science problems if he can't read 😑
Okay funny enough this did work forcme and my brother (25) and i ztill have a messy room full of books. The other 2 not so much lol just depends on the kids really
My kid is a voracious reader, he just doesn't read the books I expected.
Well he likes reading so long as its nothin you dont want them to read at least its a huge step in the age of tablets
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It might just come to them later. I liked reading when I was a toddler to when I was about 6, then stopped, then got back into it when I was 12. A book they're being taught in schools may get them into reading! Or they might even find one on their own, it's never too late!
My mom read all the time, i loved it when my kids were newborn, prob read a book per day. Lost that for a few years lol but am back up to most of a book a night. Oldest daughter loves reading, the boys not so much
I did them for all 4 of my kids- including twins! Used disposables rarely and appreciated them when I did but loved cloth. I found cloth wasn't too difficult, even when the diaper service we were gifted a couple weeks for closed just when baby#1 was born!
“Set boundaries that are realistic and achievable and don’t overdo it. You all need to learn and remember what they are and have time to put them into place. Try to help children learn that what is being asked is fun — and teach them how to do them or do them together in the first instance,” Dr. Mundy suggested. But if you lack the energy to create rules in the first place, don’t beat yourself up. “Reflect upon whether you are asking too much of yourself or your child and whether you need to look after yourself a bit more.”
Navigating the parenting minefield can be overwhelming, nearly every parent can attest to that. Luckily for us, Dr. Mundy was ready to offer some advice on setting healthy rules and finding balance within the family. First, she noted to think about what is important to you as a parent. “What do you hope to teach your child and how will you do this in a way? Don’t go overboard with too many rules — start early with small expectations of tasks that you can do together.” Then, make sure to consider what is meaningful to your child. “What are they able to manage? We often expect more of children than they are actually able to do,” the psychologist explained.
My nephew thinks McDonald's only opens once a week and only during very specific times of the day and it's not the same time every day it's open.
I think the "cry it out" method only teaches them that when they cry for help, no one comes. It's not self-soothing, it's crying themselves to sleep, and they only sleep through sheer exhaustion.
LOVE THIS! the whole 'don't talk back to me' is the worst. the kid is trying to explain themselves, answer sth u literally asked, stand up for themselves, the parent refusing to have a proper conversation + just wants to one-sidedly shout at the kid, or the parent realised they're actually in the wrong/mistaken + can't take it. kids' emotions, feelings, thoughts, rights etc are so grossly dismissed + negated. why are you, the parent, allowed to say your bit + express urself/ur emotions etc but the kid (still learning to communicate, understand feelings, regulate behaviour, learn social skills etc) has to just stay shut up, take a shouting/berated, can't defend themselves, + bottle every thought/feeling up? then they wonder why their kid doesn't want to open up/talk to them, express emotions etc later in life. i'm a firm believer of 'if u wouldn't do it to an adult, don't do to a kid'. u wouldn't yell at an adult + then shut them down. why would u do it to a kid? esp one at ur mercy?
If you’re ready for some new ground rules, start with a few simple ones to share with your child. “If they are older you can develop these together. Make sure you are also happy to follow the rules (when appropriate) and explain why these are important,” Dr. Mundy said, adding that you should try to stick to the boundaries so they would become habitual in your household.
I think of it as distraction rather than babysitting. Sometimes it's the only way I can get anything done!
One is absolutely fine. We didn't even do any until this year for my 9yo, and it's choir (her choice).
“If you come up with struggles in setting these boundaries, don’t panic. Think about why this might be, whether you are being too rigid or too permissive, whether you need more time connecting with your child, etc. Always try to take responsibility for what you did wrong and repair your relationship with your child,” Dr. Mundy concluded.
I can’t stand all that noise. I guess I was one of those parents but it was because I couldn’t handle the noise.
Children will rarely, if ever, be the same as the one before. Oh sure, I wouldn't get myself into a rage if they didn't have a third bottle ready for me the instant my first was done (as was the case with my brother), but I didn't eat a whole lot, so I would wake them in the middle of the night. And where my brother was very strong willed and head strong, I really should have gotten therapy and never did. Never get into a rhythm from your first child for your second.
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If she's with them from the start, she will love dogs. Did everything right. She does like dogs, but she's a cat person, although the dogs adored her and the cats didn't even like her when she was a baby (normal, babies are loud).
The girl avoided your indogtrination! The cats and their loyal slaves shall take over the world! MEOWAHAHAHAHA!
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There is no manual for raising kids. Like adults, kids are all different. You have to adjust your parenting for each child.
I commented this on one of the comments earlier, but never have any expectations from the get go, except that your child will hopefully be healthy. This will make you be able to roll with the punches better. If you have a line of expectations in your head, especially the stricter ones like not having any electronics in the house, you're setting yourself up for a horrible time. Just as your child will be learning how to live and enjoy life, you'll be learning how to be a parent. Just takes a step at a time (or sometimes a 30 yard dash, but that's besides the point).
"Because I said so". If that's your best argument then you've failed. My step-daughter will have a generally intelligent conversation about why or why not and she'll keep grinding away until I fall back on that. I did (she's now an adult and gets adult consideration) encourage discussion but dang...
Honestly, I'm thinking of just going back to our ancestral genes and bringing them everywhere with me. Sleeping with them, eating with them, and overall doing everything with them until they eventually start to wander. At that stage, I'll let them join me in what I'm doing, but they will want to play with other kids. I think babies cry so much because they aren't supposed to be just left alone in the forest. Aka crib. They'd be eaten. So they cry as a self defense. I believe that taking them everywhere will fix this until they're old enough to explore on their own. But, who knows, I could be totally wrong.
And by take I mean carry. I will carry them weather it be by backpack or piggy back, or side hold. Body to body contact as it is in the wild.
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I think most important thing is that as a parent you don't try to be perfect and know from the start that you'll mess up. And that's okay. No parent is perfect. As long as you do your best to raise your child to be a decent person and raise them with love and respect, you're doing a great job. And doing your best is all you can do. There's no guarantee that your child will actually turn out decent. Some people break contact with their parents even if the parents really did raise their children with love. Or turn out horrible and selfish. As a parent you'll always find that you could have done certain things better. And fat chance your children will hold certain things against you. It's normal. I hold things against my parents. My children will hold things against me. My grandchildren will hold things against them. But, one may just hope love and forgiveness is enough.
Your kids will eat what everyone else eats as long as 1) you don't cave in and give them another option, and (2) you don't eat weird s**t that normal humans don't eat, like Natto and overly spicy stuff. I hear people complain about this s**t and then ask them what they make that their kids won't eat... and it's like... no s**t, I wouldn't eat that garbage either.
Children are people and are learning just like you!!! :) Thats what i love about the little boogers. Cant wait to be a parent someday.
The reality of having a child, if you don’t want to change anything in your life or love your freedoms, don’t have kids! It’s a choice to have them as well as everything that comes with. A lot of people have them for selfish reasons and then don’t do justice to the child, as it doesn’t turn out how they imagined.
When we found out we were having twins I thought "yay" this is going to be so easy. How hard could it be to care for one more tiny nugget? NOT! I was so wrong! I'm not sure how I survived the first 6 months but somehow I did. By the way, I already had kids and my twins were a complete surprise. They are 13 now.
If she's with them from the start, she will love dogs. Did everything right. She does like dogs, but she's a cat person, although the dogs adored her and the cats didn't even like her when she was a baby (normal, babies are loud).
The girl avoided your indogtrination! The cats and their loyal slaves shall take over the world! MEOWAHAHAHAHA!
Load More Replies... There is no manual for raising kids. Like adults, kids are all different. You have to adjust your parenting for each child.
I commented this on one of the comments earlier, but never have any expectations from the get go, except that your child will hopefully be healthy. This will make you be able to roll with the punches better. If you have a line of expectations in your head, especially the stricter ones like not having any electronics in the house, you're setting yourself up for a horrible time. Just as your child will be learning how to live and enjoy life, you'll be learning how to be a parent. Just takes a step at a time (or sometimes a 30 yard dash, but that's besides the point).
"Because I said so". If that's your best argument then you've failed. My step-daughter will have a generally intelligent conversation about why or why not and she'll keep grinding away until I fall back on that. I did (she's now an adult and gets adult consideration) encourage discussion but dang...
Honestly, I'm thinking of just going back to our ancestral genes and bringing them everywhere with me. Sleeping with them, eating with them, and overall doing everything with them until they eventually start to wander. At that stage, I'll let them join me in what I'm doing, but they will want to play with other kids. I think babies cry so much because they aren't supposed to be just left alone in the forest. Aka crib. They'd be eaten. So they cry as a self defense. I believe that taking them everywhere will fix this until they're old enough to explore on their own. But, who knows, I could be totally wrong.
And by take I mean carry. I will carry them weather it be by backpack or piggy back, or side hold. Body to body contact as it is in the wild.
Load More Replies... I think most important thing is that as a parent you don't try to be perfect and know from the start that you'll mess up. And that's okay. No parent is perfect. As long as you do your best to raise your child to be a decent person and raise them with love and respect, you're doing a great job. And doing your best is all you can do. There's no guarantee that your child will actually turn out decent. Some people break contact with their parents even if the parents really did raise their children with love. Or turn out horrible and selfish. As a parent you'll always find that you could have done certain things better. And fat chance your children will hold certain things against you. It's normal. I hold things against my parents. My children will hold things against me. My grandchildren will hold things against them. But, one may just hope love and forgiveness is enough.
Your kids will eat what everyone else eats as long as 1) you don't cave in and give them another option, and (2) you don't eat weird s**t that normal humans don't eat, like Natto and overly spicy stuff. I hear people complain about this s**t and then ask them what they make that their kids won't eat... and it's like... no s**t, I wouldn't eat that garbage either.
Children are people and are learning just like you!!! :) Thats what i love about the little boogers. Cant wait to be a parent someday.
The reality of having a child, if you don’t want to change anything in your life or love your freedoms, don’t have kids! It’s a choice to have them as well as everything that comes with. A lot of people have them for selfish reasons and then don’t do justice to the child, as it doesn’t turn out how they imagined.
When we found out we were having twins I thought "yay" this is going to be so easy. How hard could it be to care for one more tiny nugget? NOT! I was so wrong! I'm not sure how I survived the first 6 months but somehow I did. By the way, I already had kids and my twins were a complete surprise. They are 13 now.
