"Today I Messed Up": 25 Parents Share Their Funny Parenting Incidents

To gain some insight from a parent who is open about the hilarious struggles that come along with raising kids, we reached out to Deva Dalporto. Deva is known for sharing comedy videos online about her experiences as a mother, as well as writing and blogging. When asked what inspired Deva to start sharing comedy content about parenting online in the first place, she told Bored Panda, "My life inspires my work. I just take all of the messy, hilarious parenting moments and expose them for all the world to see! My kids will tell you I have no filter."

"I made my first video nearly a decade ago as a family joke," Deva shared. "This was long before 'mom humor' was all over the internet, so it was just a fun, cathartic creative project to help me cope with the insanity of parenthood, and we were stunned when it went viral. Since then I've just tried to laugh about the craziness of parenthood, because it is CRAZY! I always say if you don't laugh, you're going to cry. And I'd rather laugh!"

When asked how often parents make what their children would consider to be "monumental mishaps", Deva told us, "In the eyes of their children? Every. Single. Day." When it comes to some of her most hilarious mistakes, Deva shared, "I cursed in front of my son's friend the other day. A big, fat f-bomb when we were in the car. When I apologized my son said, 'Don't worry, Mom. Everyone's immune to you by now.'"

"I guess that means I've made soooooo many mistakes that they're just the norm," Deva told Bored Panda. "Speaking of cursing, when my daughter was 2-years-old we had a stray cat who used to come into our yard. Every time I saw it I would mumble 'There's that f-ing cat', but using the whole word. One day we had a playdate with this perfect mom and her perfect child and in the middle of playing blocks my kid gets up, walks to the sliding glass door and yells, 'Mommy, look! There's that f'ing cat.' And yes, she used the whole word. We never had another playdate with those people."

Finally, we asked Deva if she had any tips for parents who are fearful of making mistakes in front of their kids. "Don't be afraid of making mistakes," she says. "They make the BEST stories later in life!"

"If you mess up as a parent, it's ok to admit it and apologize to your kids," she continued. "I have said 'I'm sorry' to my children so many times (because I mess up all the time). It helps remind them that you're only human and we're all just doing our best."

If you'd like to hear more about Deva's hilarious experiences while parenting or check out some of her comedy content, you can find her website right here.

Being a parent is no walk in the park. Whether you’re changing diapers, teaching your kid how to ride a bike, or picking up your teenager from detention after school, the struggles and challenges never seem to end. Even if you are the world’s best mom or dad, inevitably, there will be moments where you wish you had a time machine. This could be because you accidentally revealed a secret to your child, you unintentionally embarrassed them, or you found out that something was a surprisingly sensitive topic. And although these moments may be painful at the time, at least they make for great stories to tell later.

And while every child and every family is different, it seems that some parenting mistakes are common occurrences. Mom and writer Kim Bongiorno wrote a piece for Momtastic detailing “Rookie Mistakes Every Mom Has Made”, and some of them might be painfully relatable if you’re a parent. For example, she notes leaving a sharpie or container of sugar unattended. That’s just asking for a big mess. But as adults who know how to use those items responsibly, we might not realize how dangerous they can be in the hands of a child…

Some of the other rookie mistakes Kim notes that parents often make are believing their children in certain situations like when they say it’s Pajama Day at school or that they wiped their bottom well after going potty. Yes, we should believe children most of the time, when they tell us they are sad or hungry or tired. But occasionally, we should be a bit skeptical. It doesn’t hurt to get a second opinion or check for yourself if your child tells you something that is suspiciously beneficial to them or a bit too convenient.

Kim also says that it’s a rookie mistake to tell your kids “about something you might eventually do some day together that could possibly be fun if the opportunity perchance arrives”. Basically, kids don’t like uncertainty, and they will never forget if you mentioned something exciting. “Oh, we’re going to the zoo? Yes, you said we are! We have to go! When are we going to the zoo? You didn’t LIE did you, mommy? You taught me that lying is wrong!” It’s amazing how children can forget to wash their hands before eating, yet if you told them 3 years ago you’re considering a trip to Disneyland, they will still bring it up.

Another rookie mistake Kim mentions is leaving the house before everyone has had a chance to use the bathroom. Even if you’re running late, make them go first. Even if the car ride will only be 15 minutes, make them go first. Even if they went an hour ago, make them try again. It can be hard for kids to have a great understanding of their bladder’s capacity, and usually when they decide they need to go, it needs to happen immediately. I can’t tell you how many car rides were interrupted as a kid because my younger brother told my parents, “I need to go now.” And he wasn’t exaggerating. Thankfully, my parents always believed him and did their best to make it into a gas station restroom on time, but it’s preferable to make sure everyone tries before leaving the house. Having to go back home to clean your car and change your child, who is now also screaming and crying out of embarrassment, is usually not worth the hassle.  

Kim also mentioned that parents need to have a heavy filter on when talking in front of their children because if you accidentally let a swear word slip, your kids are likely to cling onto that word or phrase. How is it that they never hear you when you ask them to clean their room or was the dishes, yet somehow when you say a swear word in the other room, their hearing is better than a dog’s? Kids are truly amazing, and their little minds are curious about anything and everything, especially words they don’t often hear or they know they’re not supposed to hear. The same goes for revealing secrets that other kids might not know, though. If your child is the only one in the class who knows Santa and the Tooth Fairy aren’t real or how babies are made, you can bet that a week later, their entire second grade class will have all of the information as well. Can we really blame them though? Even adults are terrible at keeping gossip to ourselves.  

Although it can be easy to sweat the small stuff as a parent, because you care about your children so much and just want the best for them, it’s important to remember that there is no such thing as a perfect parent. So don’t beat yourself up when you make mistakes. As Childpsych explains on their site, we want to teach our kids that nobody is perfect, so we need to lead by example. It’s much more important for kids to feel safe and loved than for them to feel like they do everything right all the time. “Children must be able to make mistakes without the fear of major consequences, in order to learn,” Childpsych explains. “Unfortunately, perfectionism can easily rub off on children too. They may think they have to be perfect all the time and this can put them at a higher risk of developing serious mental health problems, including anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.”

As a parent, try to focus on what you are doing right rather than the few times you make mistakes. As psychology professor Dr. Nancy Darling wrote for Psychology Today, there are several things that children find much more important than perfectionism from their parents. After all, if a parent thinks they are being perfect by managing their household and excelling at their full-time job, they might be lacking somewhere else, like in spending quality time and building an emotional connection with their children. The first thing Dr. Darling writes that all children need is unconditional love. Meaning that if they make a mistake or fail a test, they don’t have to fear how their parents will react. They feel safe to share their failures because they know they will still find support.