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

Yes, when you have the extremely fussy child who won't eat chicken nuggets, burgers, sandwiches or chips (or many other things, really) and is a complete nightmare to cater for at birthday parties (to the extent that you warn other mums beforehand "DC won't eat anything you offer them, but that's fine, please don't worry"), you stop judging people on what they feed their toddlers and just marvel that they'll eat stuff.

I have one very specific one.
Not teaching their kid to chew with his mouth closed!
My son's best friend chews with his mouth open. He eats alone most of the time. His parents wont eat until he is in bed. The kids are 10 now though, not toddlers, but he still gets his dinner in front of the TV alone and they eat after 9pm without him.

They haven't taught him table manners and I've lost patience because he is too old now. He is here for dinner a lot and it is literally every fork full that I have to tell him to close his mouth.

Lazy parenting I guess. I cant stand lazy parents who dont teach their kids.

And you shouldn't feel bad Apologies, that was my comment on the FF before legal/safe, but I do truly believe that there are many exceptions to the rule which make RF unsafe, such as the example you give. I have a friend whose daughter is horrendously sick in cars and would choke and gag on her vomit and it just was not safe at all for mum to not be able to see her. FF also helped with the sickness, too.

Also, children screaming, crying etc., when RF cause a distraction to the driver making it unsafe. So there are definitely reasons why some parents need to FF sooner.

I must admit things like running around in cafes etc I used to insist my kids didn’t do these things. But the children who were allowed to have grown up and grown out of it (obviously) and are lovely polite children. I wish I had worried less on these things

Performance parenting. I collect 2 little ones from preschool and honestly the performance parenting that goes on outside the school is ridiculous. It takes all my willpower not to roll my eyes.

Parents letting their kids run wild around car parks/waiting areas/cafes/etc. control your kids for gods sake. The world does not revolve around them.

These are diminutives and are a form of parantese. They actually support language development interestingly.

Going to make sure my longhaired toddler boy wears his brightly coloured watermelon print clothes more often just to piss off people like you

Good god what a sour thread.

It’s amusing that clearly people without children are also commenting on this thread - really ramps up the judge!

Please do! I love to see them 😂

Making jokey comments about baby/toddler girls and boys eg 'she's a little tart' 'shes always chasing the boys' I know it's meant affectionately but I just find it weird.

Ghastly things that encourage laziness.

Obviously someone will come and post how their child only has one leg and they have to use a buggy board.

I am talking about perfectly healthy children who can walk.

Sorry but this made me laugh 😂😂😂

I was also going to ask what the problem was with buggy boards. I used to use one when going on a long walk; my son would walk as long as he could, then when he was tired he'd hop on the board. We didn't have a car (or any money) so we'd often be walking for miles and miles.

I am amazed I didn't realise others were judging me for this!

Oh god. My toddler with long hair is currently sitting on the sofa, wearing fox tights. And watching a screen.

( it’s snowing so he wore under salopettes to nursery this morning, where I was greeted by about 20 toddlers running about in tights and slippers)

What would you use for a 2 mile walk to nursery along a busy road with a 2 1/2 year old and her 3 month sister?

I cringe seeing toddlers drink fizzy drinks out the can.

Our legs.

Ohhhhh you'd hate me. Things I do just to wind you up;

My almost 3 year old has a dummy

Sometimes i put very dilute squash in her sippy cup

We have a buggy board

My son would occasionally use my phone in a cafe to keep the peace

Not even a tiny bit sorry 😃

Give their kids £10 for their first tooth from the tooth fairy, now I have to do the same 😱

See also Elf on the Shelf

Ah, you’re one of those superior parents with a toddler who has inexplicably been born with the ability to walk 4 miles twice a day, at an adult pace with absolutely no dawdling or getting tired. Quite amazing how many exist on MN and you meet none in real life isn’t it.

Parents who judge other parents based on a small snapshot of their life.

What a stupid response.

Dummies can lead to problems in oral health and teeth development. I know this because I regret using them!! Don't be me!

It irritates me when people let their children wander off and ‘bother’ other people
Yes this annoys me too. Generally not bothered if people don't want to supervise their kids properly at soft play, do what you like. But I don't like it when it means their kid then traipses round after me and my daughter, looking at me like a sad puppy every time they get to a bit of equipment and need help. I am trying to help my own kids not random strangers'.

What age are kids expected to walk everywhere? Are pushchairs allowed or do they also encourage laziness?