No one said being a good parent was easy. But when you have a parenting fail, it can make you feel like you have scarred your children for life.
To help cheer you up and prove that you haven’t done the unthinkable, I’ve compiled 4 of the greatest parenting fails. These parents may have failed spectacularly at times, but in the end, their kids turned out pretty okay. And if these kids can make it through these parenting goofs, your kids can too!
Good Thing Babies Are Durable
In the age of the smartphone, it is pretty much inevitable that someone was going to drop their phone on a baby. I about wet myself laughing when one of my friends posted an adorable picture of his little daughter, with the caption: “Not pictured, the phone I dropped on Sarah right after I took this. Parenting fail much?”
Vegetable-Hating Children
Jenna thought she was being exceptionally clever. She found a recipe on Pinterest which was guaranteed to help her sneak spinach into her veggie-loathing kids’ food. According to Jenna’s Facebook post, “I’m pretty sure that set them all back about 5 years of being willing to eat ANY vegetables.”
Forgotten Child, Home Alone-style
The Christmas classic “Home Alone” seems so implausible. I mean, who would forget their own child? Well, this parenting fail may help you understand.
My wife and I are part of a local Facebook parenting group. We like to swap recipes and meet up with our children. Many of us have become good friends and have a regular
group chat running on our phones. Well, after one chilly day at the park with some of the families from our group, we received a panicked message. “Is anyone still at the park?! We just got home and realize we
left [child’s name removed] and have [child’s name removed] instead!”
Turns out, the two girls had swapped places because they wanted to keep playing with their friends from the other families. Definitely convinced all of us parents to check our kids more closely rather than just head counting!
Even When You Think You’re Being Careful
I have to admit, this particular parenting fail is one of mine. I was engaged in the frustrating battle of building my toddler a “big boy bed” and it was not going well. I try my best not to swear, but after you’ve smashed your fingers enough times, sometimes the words slip out.
I hadn’t realized that my toddler had heard me until I got a report from his nursery leader on Sunday. She was quite flustered as she tried to explain that when playtime was over and it was time for the lesson, my toddler clearly pronounced “Sh**” and slouched to his chair. While she tried to excuse it by saying she might not have heard him right, I knew the truth.
My little guy is now a teenager, and thankfully, he is a respectful, polite young man.
It can be difficult, navigating the ups and downs of parenting. Sometimes it feels like there are more downs than ups. But when something goes not quite right, don’t stress too much. You aren’t alone in committing parenting fails.
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This post is republished on Medium.
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Photo credit: iStock