Bad parenting confessions

china mom

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Feb 15, 2010
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I thought it would be fun to post some of our harmless but funny parenting gaffes.

I'll start. When the kids were in preschool, we had a 50 minute drive each way so the kids (usually my son) would kick their shoes off in the car. We would park in the garage and they would walk into the house in their socks. The next morning, they would walk out in their socks and the shoes would be put on when we got to school.

Of course, inevitably, we arrived at school to discover that there were no shoes in the car, this was the time they wore them into the house the night before. I had to run to walmart to buy a pair of shoes for school....and the worst part is that this happened more than once.

I also had to buy an emergency bathing suit one time.
 


I think this would work here...and bonus points for being Disney related.

It was my girls' first trip to WDW. DD17 was about 4.25 yrs old and DD15 had just turned 2. It was our first full day and we had an 8:10am pre-park opening breakfast at Crystal Palace. It had been a really rough morning and the day had barely gotten started. So, I'd like to present my case for being a bad parent before I tell you what I did...
  • We were staying at WL and because it was so cold (in the 30s), only the buses were running. We were out there just before 7am, but we didn't see a single MK bus until 7:47am. We called, we asked other bus drivers to phone it in, and we were even told a bus came through 10 minutes earlier...but had to inform them that the bus never actually came. I went from having lots of time to a major rush.
  • I kept asking 4-yr old DD17 if she had to potty, but she was good. We got inside MK and I asked again and she said she was good. We got up to the hub, and again she said she was good. We didn't have time to go all the way up to the castle for a no-crowds early morning pic, but I decided to try and get some in front of the fencing by Crystal Palace just before checking in. That's when DD17 had an accident.
  • So, now I had to rush to the bathrooms in between Casey's and CP to clean her up and get her into a dry set of clothes and she decided to throw a fit about all of it. We were really running behind now! Never trust a 4 year old when they say they don't have to go!
  • We got outside with still a few minutes to spare, but I couldn't get my camera to work. New DSLR that was fine the night before and it was a brick! It was user error, but I was too mentally fried to think straight. I had brought an old video camera with me that could take stills, so I frantically dug it out of the bag, took some horrible pictures and headed to check in.
Once we were seated. I asked for a glass of water and a Diet Coke. Naturally, since I'm an adult, they brought out full sized large cups with my beverages. I guess I was so fried from our morning that I wasn't paying attention to my gesturing and I hit my glass of ice water and it dumped all over then 2 DD15. She was drenched with ice water from the neck down. I took her into the bathroom to change her into one of her spare sets of clothes. I brought her back out, and not 5 minutes go by before I gesture again and my full large cup of Diet Coke goes down the front of her. I had one more set of clothes for her in the diaper bag as well as her Ariel dress (were having lunch at CRT and the older one was also doing BBB). I was in tears and shock just looking at her before I pulled myself together to take her to change again. At this point, people around us were looking at me and I could hear people talking under their breath. It was such a spectacle that the manager offered to run over to one of the shops and get her a warm outfit -on them- if I could tell them her size. I thanked him, but told him I couldn't accept because this was all my fault. So, I got her changed again. She was now also freezing from the outside temps, the temps inside the restaurant, and the icy beverages that were spilled on her, so I had to put her back in her winter coat. I was hoping to lay low for the rest of the meal, but our server decided I needed some humor. She loudly announced something to the area... reminiscent of how you'd hear the CMs in 50s or Whispering Canyon ... about how I've proven I can only be trusted with kid cups. On her tray were four kid cups filled with soda and another four filled with water. Laughter and embarrassment all in one.
 
I thought it would be fun to post some of our harmless but funny parenting gaffes.

I'll start. When the kids were in preschool, we had a 50 minute drive each way so the kids (usually my son) would kick their shoes off in the car. We would park in the garage and they would walk into the house in their socks. The next morning, they would walk out in their socks and the shoes would be put on when we got to school.

Of course, inevitably, we arrived at school to discover that there were no shoes in the car, this was the time they wore them into the house the night before. I had to run to walmart to buy a pair of shoes for school....and the worst part is that this happened more than once.

I also had to buy an emergency bathing suit one time.

my oldest would use a toe hook manuver and flip socks off and into the air.

i once was on my way to daycare then work and spaced on taking the exit for daycare...just kept driving towards work until the sock flipper flipped a sock off and caught my attention in the rear view mirror:o

not a gaffe so much but i always felt like a terrible parent when i would burst into laughter at my kid's infant/toddler immunizations. the delayed reaction...the needle already out and disposed of, the bandaid in place, sometimes the sticker in hand...then the look of surpise on their faces and the inevitable howling. it was like a finely tuned comedy routine:rotfl2:
 
2 years ago my youngest was in 3rd grade. He broke his tibia and had a cast up to his mid thigh area. It happened the beginning of december, so he missed most of that month because the first week he couldn't get to the bathroom on his own and was in so much pain. Fast forward to Jan and back to school.. My kids have always gotten on and off the bus at daycare, but because of the cast situation, he couldn't get on and off the bus and was in a wheelchair so I was taking them to school and leaving work early to pick them up. Completely out of the norm for me. So first day, I get him dropped off and in the school, and get to work. School gets out at 3. I work till 4. At 3:10 I get a call see the school number and immediately realized what I'd done lol. I picked up and was like "Shoot, Fudge (not the words I used) I forgot, I'm on my way!" I was on speaker phone lol. I felt like such a horrible mom for forgetting my wheelchair bound kid at school. Not to mention cussing to the school secretary lol.
 
I think this would work here...and bonus points for being Disney related.

It was my girls' first trip to WDW. DD17 was about 4.25 yrs old and DD15 had just turned 2. It was our first full day and we had an 8:10am pre-park opening breakfast at Crystal Palace. It had been a really rough morning and the day had barely gotten started. So, I'd like to present my case for being a bad parent before I tell you what I did...
  • We were staying at WL and because it was so cold (in the 30s), only the buses were running. We were out there just before 7am, but we didn't see a single MK bus until 7:47am. We called, we asked other bus drivers to phone it in, and we were even told a bus came through 10 minutes earlier...but had to inform them that the bus never actually came. I went from having lots of time to a major rush.
  • I kept asking 4-yr old DD17 if she had to potty, but she was good. We got inside MK and I asked again and she said she was good. We got up to the hub, and again she said she was good. We didn't have time to go all the way up to the castle for a no-crowds early morning pic, but I decided to try and get some in front of the fencing by Crystal Palace just before checking in. That's when DD17 had an accident.
  • So, now I had to rush to the bathrooms in between Casey's and CP to clean her up and get her into a dry set of clothes and she decided to throw a fit about all of it. We were really running behind now! Never trust a 4 year old when they say they don't have to go!
  • We got outside with still a few minutes to spare, but I couldn't get my camera to work. New DSLR that was fine the night before and it was a brick! It was user error, but I was too mentally fried to think straight. I had brought an old video camera with me that could take stills, so I frantically dug it out of the bag, took some horrible pictures and headed to check in.
Once we were seated. I asked for a glass of water and a Diet Coke. Naturally, since I'm an adult, they brought out full sized large cups with my beverages. I guess I was so fried from our morning that I wasn't paying attention to my gesturing and I hit my glass of ice water and it dumped all over then 2 DD15. She was drenched with ice water from the neck down. I took her into the bathroom to change her into one of her spare sets of clothes. I brought her back out, and not 5 minutes go by before I gesture again and my full large cup of Diet Coke goes down the front of her. I had one more set of clothes for her in the diaper bag as well as her Ariel dress (were having lunch at CRT and the older one was also doing BBB). I was in tears and shock just looking at her before I pulled myself together to take her to change again. At this point, people around us were looking at me and I could hear people talking under their breath. It was such a spectacle that the manager offered to run over to one of the shops and get her a warm outfit -on them- if I could tell them her size. I thanked him, but told him I couldn't accept because this was all my fault. So, I got her changed again. She was now also freezing from the outside temps, the temps inside the restaurant, and the icy beverages that were spilled on her, so I had to put her back in her winter coat. I was hoping to lay low for the rest of the meal, but our server decided I needed some humor. She loudly announced something to the area... reminiscent of how you'd hear the CMs in 50s or Whispering Canyon ... about how I've proven I can only be trusted with kid cups. On her tray were four kid cups filled with soda and another four filled with water. Laughter and embarrassment all in one.
Wrong thread.
This is supposed to be bad parenting confessions, not submissions for Mother of the Year. You did not meltdown in the face of multiple mishaps. I'd say your submission is strong and quite likely to win you the crown.
 
Those are amusing stories, but I wouldn't at all call them "bad parenting." If anything they are examples of GREAT parenting. A bad parent would have sent thier kids to school without shoes or forced them to wear their wet clothes.
 
Also a school related bad mom moment... Let me first say I'm not a "don't cuss" mom, I'm a "know when it's appropriate to cuss" mom. Also, my oldest kid has ADHD, so generally anytime I get a call from the school it's not good. Either someone is hurt, or did something wrong. The Friday morning before State for wrestling, I see the school number pop up and I am immediately thinking uh-oh. please don't let anyone be hurt.. So I answer the phone and it was my youngests teacher. I just said oh heck what the fudge happened. All I could think is he was wrestling at state that weekend, and he probably hurt himself or something lol. Nope, his teacher just wanted to call and tell me what a good job he'd done on something and I was on speaker phone, and he was sitting right there. We had a good laugh about that and still joke about it to this day. Both of my kids had that teacher so I knew she wouldn't be offended by the words, but it was just a gut reaction lol.

Most of my bad parenting moments involve someone saying a word they shouldn't (mostly me) at an inopportune time lol
 
Those are amusing stories, but I wouldn't at all call them "bad parenting." If anything they are examples of GREAT parenting. A bad parent would have sent thier kids to school without shoes or forced them to wear their wet clothes.
The mom guilt is real lol. Sometimes I have to remind myself that the fact that I worry if things make me a bad parent separate me from actual bad parents. Bad parents don't care if they are bad, they just plow ahead
 
My now 33 year old daughter says my wife and I were bad parents because we never bought her a battery powered Barbie Jeep. She says the fact that we bought her a REAL car when she turned 16 doesn't make up for this.
 
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I have sent my child (gain, more than once) to school on pajama day only to get a call and be told that it was, in fact, NOT pajama day.

I NEVER remember picture day and my children dress like homeless people. One time the school rummage the lost and found bin to put together a presentable outfit for DD's pictures.
 
Wrong thread.
This is supposed to be bad parenting confessions, not submissions for Mother of the Year. You did not meltdown in the face of multiple mishaps. I'd say your submission is strong and quite likely to win you the crown.

Thank you! All I know is I felt like the worst mom that day.
 
I'm here for my crown. Don't worry, @TiggerTrigger, yours is still quite safe upon your head, I'm clearly running #1 in a distinctly different race.

I not only gave my then ten year old daughter an inappropriate book, I included it in her Easter basket. We had gone to see Wicked and all loved it so I thought she would have fun with the novel it was based on -- before I understood that the novel in fact has some not quite PG moments. She read the entire book and never said a word. I only found out when I decided to pick up the book and see how it differed from the musical.

She's 30 now and by all accounts did not go down the path of delinquency or deviance and appears to be a solid citizen and not a menace to society, despite my questionable parenting.
 
My husband and I recently moved from our home of 25 years. All of our children have been out of the nest prior to this move. When the "kids" were clearing out all of their childhood crap my 34 year old son realized his Batmobile was missing and I was accused of giving it away. I'm not sure if I'll ever be forgiven.

Furthermore, it was noticed by my sons that my daughter had 5 times the amount of bins saved than they had, collectively.

I don't have any answers.

PS If anyone knows where I can buy a Batmobile circa early 90's please let me know.
 
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My mom took me to see Tommy and All That Jazz in the theater. I would have been almost 10 for All That Jazz, and younger for Tommy. She just saw "musical" and thought why not? :rolleyes1

That reminds me of when my grandparents thought about taking my brother and myself to see Porky's. They initially thought it was a movie about Porky Pig! Then again, fast forward several years and my grandmother also assumed The Sopranos was a show about a family that sings.
 
Definite "bad parent" confession - I've told this one on here before, my only excuse is major sleep deprivation.

My oldest went on a sleep strike when he was around 3ish years old. He didn't sleep well as a baby, but this was like nothing he'd ever done before. I hadn't slept in days. So...when he came home worried because his daycare teacher had read The 3 Little Pigs to the class, I told him not to worry, the big bad wolf only ate little boys that were up past their bedtime. Worked great for a week or so, then he began doubting me, probably because the teacher had tried to explain make believe to the class after the backlash she got from parents of terrified preschoolers.

He finally worked up the nerve to come out of his room one night and tell me that he knew I was lying - right about the time the neighbors dog started howling like crazy (dog never made a sound before that night, no idea what set him off). He hauled his little rear end back down the hallway as fast as he could, jumped into the bed, hid under the covers and screamed "I'm in bed, I'm in bed, don't eat me."

It took him another month or so to get over his obsession with the pigs and the wolf, but it did end the sleep strike.
 
Well having 5 I could write a book. My 5 year old son wore his sisters skort backwards to kindergarten camp, I put it in the wrong room, didn’t notice until pickup. I send my 3rd grader to school everyday with a can of slim fast.

You know how some parents rush to the doctor with every sniffle? I’m not that parent. Took my high school aged daughter to urgent care after she was complaining of a sore throat and being tired for weeks, turns out it was mono, it cleared up a few days later. My son complained of a stomach ache one Friday and asked to be picked up from school. The next Friday he did the same, asking to go to the doctor. I told him I’d take him after school after I got his sister to work. It was soon apparent he needed medical attention. Unfortunately by the time he got to the ER (I started at urgent care and they said get him to a hospital) his appendix had already ruptured. You would think that me having appendicitis 6 months earlier would’ve tipped me off).
 













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