Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Explain Which Things Scream 'I'm A Bad Parent'

Little girl covering her face
Photo by Caleb Woods on Unsplash

It's hard to imagine for someone who didn't live it, but not everyone grew up with a kind and loving childhood home.

So much so, Redditors were able to fill a whole Reddit thread with examples of bad parenting, some of which are startling.


Redditor FiForYourAttention asked:

"What screams 'I'm a bad parent'?"

Confidentiality Who?

"I don't know if this really screams it, but I absolutely hate when adults tell other adults their children’s shameful secrets for no reason. Even strangers! It tells me those children probably don’t feel like they can trust their parents."

- 50637

Trust Issues

"I had a pretty horrible thing happen to me during my senior year of high school. I called my mom sobbing, and the next day I found out she told her two best friends and multiple teacher friends of hers. I also found out she and my older sister were laughing about it with each other."

"I never tell her anything anymore. At least anything important."

- Training-Ad171

What Kid?

"Zero interest in the kid. Doesn’t care what they do or what happens to them as long as they don’t inconvenience them."

- JustinChristoph

Lack of Accountability

"Never saying sorry to the kid when the parents make a mistake."

- SuvenPan

Break into Teams

"Triangulation. After the divorce, one of our parents immediately weaponized our relationship against the other. I’m 32 and still unweaving all of the details in my brain."

- BugzFromZpace

Breaking Decibels

"My mother used to get up in my face and yell at me for trivial things. She would also spit on me while yelling."

"Yelling at a kid is traumatic for the kid. Don’t do it. There are better ways to communicate than yelling."

- rainbowblack79

Physically Abusive

"I volunteer at and have had student placements at a children’s hospital and we’ve had patients with serious brain injuries due to abuse (shaking, attempted drowning, etc.). So yeah I’d say those parents are pretty bad."

- Tapestry-of-Life

Desiring Fear

"Your own children being afraid of you, no child should be afraid of the person that looks after them nearly 24/7."

"I really don't think it clicks till adolescence either when you look back and realize that you really were terrified of your father 24/7 as a child."

"Or it's weird when you realize that not all children hate their fathers."

- LimitlessTVShows

The Blame Game

"Blaming your own mistakes and regrets on your kids."

"Or living vicariously through your children because of your own mistakes and regrets."

- LilKaySigs

Broken Record

"Saying the same things over and over again like, 'You're such a disappointment' and 'I wish I had a daughter instead' and 'You ruined my and you're mother's sex life.' This is stuff I heard for years."

- FERRARI308GTSI

Disregarding Mental Health

"Saying 'You're too young to be depressed' and ignoring red flags from mental illnesses."

- EclecticMermaid

Invalidation Tactics

"Invalidating your child's feelings, struggles, and/or mental illness in favor of 'you don't know what struggling really is' or some form of 'back in my day' or 'you kids are so weak.'"

"You have just robbed your child of support, told them their feelings do not matter and informed them that you are not a safe person to confide in."

- Acetamnophen

Punishing Adult Children

"Punishing adult children when they don't do everything you say by silent treatment or nasty texts... and days later acting like nothing happened and saying , 'You never let go of things.'"

- kabive2044

Never Going Home Again

"Your kids never visiting once they move out or go to college."

- ashton_yaste123

Hindsight 0/20

"Ironically, never thinking you're a bad parent."

- RandomHeretic

These examples will bring back dark memories for some.

Hopefully there will be another Reddit post where people describe what positive parenting looks like.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Screenshot of Stephen Colbert
CBS

Stephen Colbert Makes Somber Plea To Americans In Wake Of Charlie Kirk's Death

Late-night host Stephen Colbert had a somber message for Americans as he addressed the assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk, stressing that "political violence only leads to more political violence."

Kirk died after an unidentified gunman shot him in the neck as he—ironically enough—mocked victims of gun violence at an event in Utah Valley State University. Kirk's murder has galvanized the far-right, with President Donald Trump and his surrogates claiming without evidence that rhetoric from Democrats is responsible for Kirk's death.

Keep ReadingShow less
a woman sunbathing on rocks.
a person sitting on a towel on a beach
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

People Share The Weirdest Flexes They Heard Someone Say With A Straight Face

It is never attractive to gloat.

Even so, some people can't help but brag, or "flex" as it is sometimes known, about certain accomplishments or attributes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @thedowntheredoc's TikTok video
@thedowntheredoc/TikTok

TikToker Hilariously Calls Out Target After Champion Pants Feature Awkwardly-Placed Front Pleat

Sometimes you can just tell when something was designed *for* women, but was not actually designed *by* women.

Take, for instance, the new pleated pants available at Target from the Champion clothing line. While there's nothing wrong with pleated pants and they certainly have a suitable spot in the workplace, the latest rendition of Champion pleated pants are, shall we say, NSFW.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @kaicutch's Instagram video
@kaicutch/Instagram

Woman Flips Her Car After Belting Out Ironic Britney Spears Lyric In Wild Viral Video

Whether we want to admit it or not, we've all had our fair share of carpool karaoke and maybe even imagined our car as our own personal recording studio.

But TikToker and Instagrammer Kaitlynn McCutcheon may have gotten too into her performance of Britney Spears' classic, "Hit Me Baby, One More Time," when the road and her car both said, "Bet."

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from ​@lynnshazeen's TikTok video
@lynnshazeen/TikTok

Woman Goes Viral After Revealing How Her Obsession With Matcha Landed Her In The Hospital

Let's be honest: Too much of anything isn't good for us. It's all about the balance!

But the media and social media trends have taught us that certain things are really good for us, encouraging us to be like the "very mindful and very demure" girls and take care of ourselves. One such example is drinking more matcha, especially if you really like coffee or think you have a caffeine addiction.

Keep ReadingShow less