“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.
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.
My brother, sister and myself were fully bilingual in the national and the regional language (which is quite distinct from the national language) before we went to primary school. Also, learning German from TV, and later adding English and French in school.
Go with sign language. Kids find it fun, pick it up easily and way earlier than speaking. Learn it with your kids. Once you get the idea, signs make perfect sense and are therefore easier to remember. Plus you can communicate with them discreetly if need be.
I know Czech-dutch family. Two Boys are bi, maybe even tri lingual, the you gest is clinging to dutch dad And speak Ing ONLY dutch
It helps if someone in the household actually speaks a second language. Our college French classes did not cut it.
My mother speaks Spanish and never kept up on it with us. Now, I have no capacity for language besides English. So yeah.
It really helps if one or both of the parents speak two languages. My mom and dad are from Taiwan, so we grew up speaking Chinese and then when we went to school we learned English.
My siblings and I are half Mexican, our mom was born and raised in Mexico. She never taught us an ounce of Spanish. The three of us have no idea why. I wish Spanish was taught to us.
It just has to come natural. My wife is Ukrainian, I'm German, we speak English with each other and in our native languages whenever we talk to children and it works out brilliantly (because this is what we naturally do, no additional effort...)
Its hard if you're not bilingual yourself sadly. I dont know why we wait till middle school to teach a second laungures. Other county elementary schools teach there native language and english or the other major language in their cointry
My daughter knows how to say "banana" in Spanish. So, I mean, that's something.
In Sweden (and most other European countries i guess) every kid is bilingual (or more if they're immigrants), since they're exposed to English since they're toddlers and English is taught in school from first grade. The question is if they want to stay bilingual or if they want to learn a third or fourth language.
I'm in Quebec, and I'm sorry to tell you that, while we have English class mandatory in school, a lot of people forget it in adulthood, especially if they're not interested.
Load More Replies... Total fail- I'm fluent in Spanish but in the US and it just didn;t work out :(
Right?!? I have 3 kids being raised in a bilingual household... turns out receptive bilingual is a thing.
How is it hard ? Teaching young kids languages is literally the easiest thing in the world. I'm kinda sad I didn't get to learn a third one.
It's easy if you have the resources and people to speak it with. I don't know a second language and don't have the money to pay for a tutor. We are relying on YouTube videos to learn Spanish and it's slow going.
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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.
