There are a few topics out there that pretty much everyone seems to have strong opinions on. Politics. Religion. And... parenting! Your ideas on how you think it’s best to raise your kids say quite a lot about who you are as a person and what your values are. There are different approaches to parenting, and it can be extremely difficult to figure out what’s best for a specific family. However, when it comes to red flags and things to avoid doing, it’s pretty much clear to most people when a parent has royally messed up. Though, often, it's far easier to realize when someone else has made a mistake than when you've done the same. And it's easy to underestimate the importance of active listening, patience, support, and consistency.
Redditor u/ViForYourAttention went viral after asking the r/AskReddit online community about the behaviors that practically scream that someone is a bad parent. These internet users held nothing back and shared their honest, unfiltered opinions with everyone else. They revealed what they think are the biggest parenting red flags and unacceptable behavior that should be stopped immediately. Scroll down to read their thoughts below.
Bored Panda reached out to redditor u/ViForYourAttention, the person who created the viral thread. They were kind enough to share their thoughts on good and bad parenting, the role that narcissism plays, and how people can become more aware that they might be making mistakes raising their kids.
"I think we all have experiences with some form of bad parenting, whether we’ve personally experienced it in varying severity, or we’ve seen it from a distance in public. The post quickly became a place where people would make a prompt for what they thought would constitute a bad parent, and others would jump at the opportunity to respond with their own personal stories," the OP shared with us. Read on for the full interview.
#22
The infantilization of their children. Wanting them to stay helpless babies forever because they don’t want them to grow up.
I’m a nanny and it seems like a growing trend.
It’s one thing to engage is some infantile behavior or spoil your children a little. It’s another thing to bend to every whim and not make your kids uncomfortable. Example with some kids I’m currently dealing with, NOT POTTY TRAINING THEM.
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72points
#23
"Do this and that"
"Why?"
"Because I say so"
If you don't explain your kids the why of doing things then you treat them like little servants and they grow up either submissive or rebel but never good.
"Why?"
"Because I say so"
If you don't explain your kids the why of doing things then you treat them like little servants and they grow up either submissive or rebel but never good.
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68points
#24
People freaking out at their children for making a small mistake. Extra points if it was a totally genuine mistake like accident breaking a glass.
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65points
#25
Remember: The opposite of love isn't hate. It's indifference.
If you see kids being neglected, or ignored, or not cared about _at all_, that's a good indication that their parent/s aren't good
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64points
#26
Recording your child while they're having a meltdown/tantrum and posting it on social media (for likes, clout, assurance or whatnots, no idea what they're thinking)
Instead of helping them to regulate their emotions and understand what causes the emotion, how to deal with it, and that there are appropriate ways to communicate your feelings
Instead of helping them to regulate their emotions and understand what causes the emotion, how to deal with it, and that there are appropriate ways to communicate your feelings
62points
#28
Forcing your kids to do sports. I'd argue wrestlers were the worst as a lot of parents would deride their kids for daring to eat while forcing them into practice sessions that'd result in excessive vomiting, lacerations and cauliflower ear, even when the coaches voiced concerns the students were putting in too much.
In any case, it was often clear the parents were just trying to relive their glory high school years, vicariously through their own children. Same thing happens with football and other sports, but I'd argue they're not quite as physically abusive.
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58points
#29
Food Shaming, that’s a slide into an ED and lifelong Trauma. You can usually immediately tell if a child comes from a household like that or not
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57points
