#1
I took "make an anatomical model of the arm" a bit too literally in my 6th grade science class and felt really dumb holding a working wooden arm in class when everyone else had drawings. I was hiding it because I used the power tools without permission. My parents were pretty cool about it after I explained why I had wooden body parts in the closet and let me to go an engineering tech school part time along side high school a few years later.
#2
#3
We asked parenting blogger Samantha for her thoughts on how parents can create a relationship of trust and honesty with their munchkins. She explained that there needs to be a give-and-take here.
"I think encouraging our kids to be honest and open with us starts with being open with them. When they do confide in us, we should think carefully about our response and not shame them," she told Bored Panda in an email.
"In addition, we should believe our kids when they tell us about their lives or what goes on in them. I find myself sometimes surprised with how honest my kids are with me, so I guess I'm doing something right," Samantha said.
#4
Me: Dad, come here...
Dad: what?
Me: There's a hedgehog in my closet...
Dad: Jordan, no there isn't...
Mom: (My dads name), go check... This sounds like something he would do...
Dad: Fine...
(My dad walked out for a few minutes and came back to the room I was in)
Dad: (My moms name), He has a hedgehog in his closet...
Mom: (dads name), no he doesn't.
Dad: yes, he does...
(Mom walks out, and comes back with a look of shock)
Me: Dying of laughter...
The End.
#5
#6
EDIT: I called them my "illegal fish" for the longest time...
Meanwhile, many parents have trouble motivating their children to pitch in with the housework or to keep their rooms clean. We turned to Samantha for help on this very relatable issue.
She opened up to us that in her personal opinion, kids should help with the household chores. "Getting them to actually do it is another story. I am not above bribery in the form of rewards. We make it clear to our kids that they are expected to do chores as part of their family responsibilities, and they get a weekly allowance," Samantha said.
"Reward stars can be earned for extra chores that can be traded in for prizes. That said, my kids are not always pleased about doing chores. But it comes with the family territory.
#7
Just walked in from work one day and noticed it missing, was about to freak out when I saw that my 10 year old and (almost) 16 year old had moved it, and the entire contents, up to their room.
Thought it about it for a few moments, not even upset when I noticed how much more room it gave me down stairs, and hatched a plan.
When he turned 16 a week later, I said, "Happy Birthday! It's yours now!" and purchased him $100 worth of games on steam to rock the system with.
... now I'm planning a nice gaming laptop for myself ;).
#8
I opened it and the only thing written on it was "CHUCK NORRIS".
#9
The world would probably be a better place if everyone was more honest. But let’s not be naive: lies, deception, exaggeration, and secrecy are core parts of the human experience. In short—they’re not going away anytime soon. The best we can hope for is that we can lead by example and inspire the people around us to be more transparent, trusting, and trustworthy.
From a very practical perspective, it would be useful for parents to know that their children can turn to them for help and advice. The goal is to have a wholesome, supportive relationship where everyone’s open so that you don’t have to stumble upon packs of bacon under the bed or hidden stashes of cat food. Some small secrets can be playful, but others are just messy.
According to BabyCenter, kids who are 6 years old already know the difference between the truth, lies, and stories. By the time they’re 7 or 8 years old, even though they’re still developing, they can be held accountable for their honesty. They should know that they’re expected to tell the truth.
However, Jane Nelsen, author of the Positive Discipline series of books, notes that kids this age might be scared to tell the truth about doing something wrong. They might be afraid of disappointing their parents or they’re scared of punishment.
#10
**Edit**: To clarify, he admitted to tying baby Raccoons he found in his dad's garage to a fence then [ending] them with a crossbow.
**Edit 2**: If I get another message in my inbox about him being a future serial [criminal], I'll shoot *you* with a damn crossbow. Come on people, read the damn comments.
**Edit 3 (Aug 2016)**: Not sure if anyone will ever see this, but he just received a life sentence for [unaliving] somebody. F**k.
#11
#12
Broadly speaking, the cooler and calmer guardians are, the better for everyone. What parents can do is avoid labeling their kids as liars, not ask questions about things they already know the answers to, and avoid emphasizing their bad behavior. Furthermore, they can work together with their child on the things they’re lying about, whether that’s doing homework or chores.
It’s not just mutual trust and transparency that parents have to worry about, though. If you keep finding random bits of food or trash in your kids’ rooms, then it’s a hygiene issue, too. To put it very simply, if your children keep hiding food that goes bad, it’s going to affect the entire home in a very bad way.
Clinical psychologist Anjali Gowda Ferguson, Ph.D., explained to PsychCentral that cleaning can reduce stress and anxiety, improve your mood, and give you a sense of control. Furthermore, if your children get into the habit of cleaning, it gives them a sense of responsibility, builds their self-esteem, and also promotes living skills that are useful throughout their lives.
Ferguson advises parents to encourage their children to clean things on their own to promote their independence.
#13
I'd gotten my period and was too embarrassed to ask what to do, so I just, you know. Socks. I don't know what she thought it was, but the fact that she was relieved when she learned she was holding a shoebox full of menstrual blood and ruined Peds is probably telling.
#14
#15
My boyfriend and I rented a house and it had an extra bedroom, so we posted an ad on Craigslist and a girl, let's call her S, replied. She had just turned 18 and was going to college 2 minutes away from the house. She seemed like a nice girl at first. Quiet, tiny (I mean like 70 pounds tiny), and didn't mind helping out around the house.
A couple weeks after she moved in, we noticed weird food items were missing. Not frozen pizzas or bread or anything- it was more like whole jars of mayo and sliced american cheese. We asked her about it and she denied she took anything.
When the semester was up, she moved out, and we started cleaning out her room and bathroom. When we opened the bathroom closet, this disgusting smell hit us. On the wall behind the top shelf, there were literally THOUSANDS of balls of paper towel with chewed and half-digested food inside.
She would eat a jar of mayo, throw it up into this bucket we found in her bedroom closet, and make vomit snowballs, which she tossed into the closet.
It took hours to scrape it all off. Absolutely disgusting.
TL;DR: vomit snowballs. Eck.
Of course, if the munchkins genuinely need help or don’t know how to do something, the guardians can lend them a hand. But adults should not be jumping in to complete every little task or chore. A small amount of adversity is healthy in the long run.
Meanwhile, if you’re still at the start of teaching them about the importance of pitching in with the housework, you could make everything a collaborative effort. Then, slowly, you could reduce the amount of help you provide as your kids gain confidence and get used to doing things on their own.
#16
#17
#18
About 5 minutes later, he blasts through my door, opens the window, PUNCHES OUT THE SCREEN, and does some crazy spiderman egress s**t that involved him jumping out the window while still holding on to the side of it so he wraps around the building whilst midair, lands on the group of Air Conditioning units (apartment complex), and runs off into the woods. 2 stories off the ground. Ok, now something's a little weird. 'Obviously he could've just used the front door' is what I'm thinking. Like 10 seconds later, 2 cops and a police dog are in my room followed by my mom, who looks absolutely mortified by what I've done. I guess the severity of it is finally setting in so I just look at her with that 'I f****d up, didn't I?' look on my face.
I got my a*s BEAT that night.
TL;DR: Mom finds fellon under my bed, guy Damien Walters himself out of my window.
And, of course, there’s nothing like genuine praise to keep your children motivated with their chores. You can even make the process more fun by creating a chore chart with stickers. Or you might choose to reward your children with more privileges. Whatever you decide to do, there has to be positive feedback for all the effort they put in.
So, dear Pandas, which of these stories did you find the funniest and most relatable? If you have kids, what’s the most bizarre thing you’ve found in your munchkins’ bedrooms?
On the flip side, what’s the strangest thing you kept secret from your parents when you were growing up? If you have any lighthearted stories to share, feel free to do so in the comments!
#19
#20
