Being a toddler parent is one of the most challenging jobs in the world. One mother shared her struggles on a popular online parenting forum. She has a toddler who always seems to melt down whenever her mom simply does mom stuff.
She asked other parents to share their own stories of their toddlers crying when mom or dad tries to parent them, and they came through with these hilarious and relatable responses.
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Greeting Your Toddler in the Morning
“I upset my toddler by literally existing,” one parent responds. “I walked into her room after she woke up this morning. She saw me and proceeded to have a fifteen-minute meltdown.”
Other parents have similar experiences: “how did you go from yelling MAMA repeatedly to the sight of my face causing a total meltdown?”
Serving Breakfast
Breakfast seems a challenging meal for parents of numerous toddlers on this thread. “I served her cereal with only one spoon instead of three,” one user comments.
Another parent shares their breakfast struggles: “I flipped the pancakes without him. He was in the other room playing and didn’t come in when I told him I was flipping them. Total breakdown.”
Teaching Your Toddler Left From Right
Teaching kids facts about the world is an essential role of parenting. But some toddlers find it offensive.
“My three-year-old was upset recently because I told her which hand I was right and left, and she wanted it to be the other way,” one parent writes.
Being Unable to Move the Sunbeam
“The sun moved and was no longer shining a sunbeam in the exact spot she wanted it,” one tired mom says. “She was angry at me for not moving the sun back.” As if this poor mother had control over the weather.
Serving Milk From a Cup
Many toddlers struggle with transitioning from bottle to cup, which is essential for their development. One parent’s eighteen-month-old drinks water out of cups but refuses to do the same with milk. “milk MUST be in a bottle, or it doesn’t count,” she writes.
Giving Your Toddler the Wrong Form of Eggs
Parents often struggle to figure out precisely what their toddler wants before they can verbalize it. One dad faced this challenge when his toddler began “screaming ‘ekk! ekk!’ every time he sees the egg carton in the fridge.”
Dad tried preparing scrambled and hard-boiled eggs to please his kid, but neither worked. He even handed him a raw egg. “He held it for a while but eventually gave it back, so I don’t think it was that either,” he confesses.
Preventing Your Toddler From Running Into Oncoming Traffic
Keeping your kids safe is a parent’s number one priority. But sometimes, toddlers make that a massive challenge.
One mom admits, “I upset my daughter because I didn’t allow her to run in the street at 7:30 in the morning. I’m eight months pregnant and had to chase her before she reached the street.”
Not Letting Your Toddler Spill Dog Food Everywhere
I remember being a kid and having the most fun making massive messes. But parents are the ones who have to clean them up. One notes, “I wouldn’t let him eat the dog food or dump all the dog food out onto the floor. He had a meltdown that lasted about 45 minutes.”
Offering to Help Your Toddler Get Dressed
Keeping your kids properly clothed is a huge responsibility for parents, but it can be tricky when your toddler wants the independence to dress herself before she’s ready.
“I offered to help put her sweatshirt on when she was struggling. Unfortunately, we had the same meltdown yesterday. We’ll have it again tomorrow,” writes one dad.
Opening the Door
The simplest things that you wouldn’t think twice about can set your toddler off. “I opened the front door, but she wanted to open it, so I closed it, but the damage was done. She wanted to be the first to open the door,” a final parent confesses. What unjustness have you done that causes your toddler to break down?
