Caring for children is an enigma. On the one hand, you can build the greatest relationship in your life; on the other hand, it can be a form of torture.
Nothing can push an adult human to the edge of their endurance than a tiny human in a bad mood. However, some parents glide through these encounters like swans, their kids never seeing them crack, and their unflappability is incredible.
Meanwhile, we do whatever we can to come through these moments. I am guilty of the occasional transgression — usually involving extended TV viewership.
In a recent online discussion, one guilty parent asked for confirmation they weren’t alone in naughty parenting. Other guilty members of the parenting world shared their stories of toddler wrangling.
Table of Contents
1. Popsicles All Day
Bribery never works with terrorists, so why would it be any different with children? They do share some traits, but sometimes bribery is the only option. For example, this beleaguered parent says they give popsicles “even if it’s only 8:00 am.”
2. Hide and Seek Treats
This may not be naughty, just clever. Suggesting a game of hide-and-seek may seem like a regular game. However, one commenter says they stash a beer in the shower, then hide and sip away. Spoiler alert: their child never checks the shower!
3. Weekly Takeout for the Win
Maybe some parents will read this and think, “What’s so bad about that?” Perhaps they are correct but eating at the Golden Arches once a week may not be the best for a young child’s dietary requirements. So it qualifies as naughty parenting.
4. Screen Time Blues
One single parent explained how not everybody has a garden with toys and swings for their children’s downtime. Moreover, with many two-parent working families nowadays, the tablet, cellphone, or laptop is a best friend — especially for only children without playmate siblings.
5. No Breakfast
Feeding children can be fun — said nobody ever. If your kid takes forever to eat breakfast, one states they skip it altogether. According to a mother expecting her second child, a waffle on the way to school became the new ritual.
6. TV Dinners
The time-honored TV dinner has become a trope and part of American folklore in some ways. The discussion revealed that the great American TV Dinner remains a firm fixture in many homes.
7. Action Kids
In their early years, children want to go everywhere their parents don’t want them to. This means climbing on, over, and under anything becomes a daily occurrence. Some parents say they let them climb away — exploration is vital to development.
8. Sleeping Buddies
For some reason, the ultra parents frown upon those who sleep in the same bed as their children. In several threads, people sought assurances from others like themselves who enjoy falling asleep next to their little ones. One parent says she still sleeps with her nine-year-old as she did with all her kids. This is great bonding time.
9. Cheating at Parenting
A confession: I used to walk my infant child in his stroller up a pathway when I was with him in the morning. Being on a slight incline, the path made a great surface for rolling down on a skateboard. Therefore, I would get to the end of our walk, drop the board and push him back at high speeds down the hill. He loved it, though in hindsight, maybe it was a little dangerous.
10. The Savior of Mac and Cheese
Finally, one cheeky character in the thread conceded they feed their kids “Mac and cheese 3x a week.” If it ain’t broke, don’t cook it. If kids love mac and cheese, then give them mac and cheese. If they are getting some fruit or vegetables as well, why not?
