Lighthearted- things other parents do that drive you mad.

[Mumsy46]

I have seen many things over my time that parents do that just baffle me. I’m sure things I do other people feel the same way.
let’s name a few things without any explanation or defensiveness about these things if we do them ourselves. Just state and that’s it.

for me

1. giving baby/toddlers juice from a bottle.
2. seeing very young children (say under 1) watching a tablet or phone while in their pram

I am actually guilty of a few of the things people have listed…

That's such a charming comment.

Many many kids have undiagnosed and / or invisible disabilities that mean that their parents get judged. That doesn't make it right to judge. How about you just concentrating on your own parenting?

I really mean no harm by this thread. I’m a single parent to 2 young children myself and I know how hard parenting is.

one thing I feel I would get judged one-
how much screen time my children have and I will admit my children usually are the ones running about in cafes

Parents glued to phones and ignoring children.

Those bows on headbands.

My bugbear is when parents who don’t want to let their children do something, want YOU to stop doing it too, as they can’t say no to their kids when someone else can do it. Own your own parenting.

Parents allowing children to stand in supermarket trollers….shit on their shoes and I have to put my food in there. Even worse now that supermarkets don’t provide bags for fresh fruit & veg. Should be a hanging offence!

Parents who speak to their partners in baby voices in front of the kids and call each other mummy and daddy all the time 🤢

Being constantly late to pick children up. I don't mean being stuck in traffic on occasion, or the toddler suddenly declaring they need a wee as you are leaving. But weekly lateness by 10 minutes when you are only 5 minutes away for example, and not even acknowledging it.

Yes, this. Although forward facing before it's safe, is more important to me than when legal. Legal is 9kg or 15 months. My son was 9kg at 4.5 months' old so legally could have forward faced. He's 3.5 now and still rear facing and will do until his pelvis is strong enough to protect his spinal cord in a FF crash.

Bows on newborns... such a a hazard and they look horrendous

People who have easy going kids yet feel they are superior parents

People who judge parents of nd kids when they literally have no clue

People who mock gentle parenting because they don't understand it

People who say they are practicing gentle parenting when in reality they are just burying their head in the sand

What’s wrong with a buggy board?

Talking in a babyish high pitched voice to the kids. Can't stand it. A friend does it to her own children and my children, puts me off going out with her sometimes.

Pushing a buggy while smoking

Also, smoking in a car Full of children or even just one child.
People who have loud conversations about getting drunk on the weekend and swearing their heads off in the playground.
Babies sat in buggies with snot down their faces and parent totally oblivious.
Babies in buggies with no appropriate sleeping bag or blanket in the cold weather.
Ear piercing on newborns.

Anyone else think of Amanda and the trampoline when they read this? 😁

It irritates me when people let their children wander off and ‘bother’ other people. I actually really like children, but when I’m out having a cup of coffee with my mum and my dog I don’t want to spend 15 minutes chatting to your child about how nice my dog is while you sit several tables away completely ignoring the situation. I also don’t need your pre-schooler standing right in front of me and leaning over my baby while I’m trying to breastfeed her, even if she does “really like babies”…

My friend bought a brand new house.. Lawn never touched by human hands(!) yet her dc had to have socks and shoes on before they were allowed out there.... The feel of grass on bare feet is amazing!

People who make these threads! Women go through enough without these judgemental posts. You yourself have said things that baffle you and clearly you are judging them for it.

Let’s build each other.

Parents looking down their noses at the way other parents parent drive me mad.

I can’t stand the feeling of grass on my feet 😂 I can barely tolerate sand touching them!

Parents that speak to their kids like shit. Everything they say seems to be harsh and snarling, even when the child is being perfectly polite. I know sometimes the parent might have had a bad day or be stressed with a million things, but it’s no excuse, and seeing their child’s face look so sad makes me feel sad. I’ve seen parents happily chatting away to another adult but then snarl at their child when they speak. It’s horrible.

People who let their children scream in restaurants, planes, trains and other confined spaces when they could just give them a phone or tablet to watch (with earphones, of course).

There's a place and time for screen time limits and imo it's not when you're stuck in an enclosed metal tube at 30,000 feet with 200 plus other people in close proximity.

I put my DS forward facing just before it was legal cos he had severe reflux (until he was 5 years old!) and puked everywhere all the time. Backward facing in the car was awful for him and us. He only went in the car once a month anyway so i didn't feel bad.

My pet hate is coke in baby bottles. I just don't see the need.

Are your children very young OP? I think as a parent you sort of 'grow out' of judging other parents the longer you've been one.

I am rarely bothered by what other parents do, but a random one that irritated me is when parents nickname animals to make them sound cuter instead of teaching them the real names
.
I went round a farm with a mum friend when our children were nursery age and she called every animal a weird name like 'horsey', 'moomoo', 'piggles', 'wabbits', 'goaties', 'doggy' and 'sheepies'
They are harder for little children to pronounce and there is no need for it. It's a cow, its perfectly fine to tell your son that it is a cow.