To ask what’s the most toe curling OTT boast/showing off you’ve heard from a parent about their child?

[Rainbowb]

Just seen a FB post from a mum friend boasting about her 9yo daughter doing online dance and gym sessions via zoom and practising for her 11 plus complete with picture of said child sat at her desk and smiling for the camera. Hope the child gets time to chill out now and then! Mum obviously needs us all to believe her daughter is a high achiever! It was so cringy though and I wondered if anyone else out there was biting their lip at stuff like this?!

@GlummyMcGlummerson
"I've just remembered, at a baby group when DD was 2 months old, one mum was bragging that her DS could lift his head off the floor, and about my DD (who couldn't at that point) "oh don't worry she'll get there".

No shit Sherlock. Here was me worried that, at age 19, she'll still be flat face down on the floor, and I'll be saying "well she just never quitegraspedhead lifting"."

Thank you I had one of those crying laughing fits

Parents who are genuinely proud of their child's achievements shine through. Parents who share every old piece of shite because they are seeking attention and validation are also easy to spot. Amount of shite tends to be directly proportional to amount of unfulfillment in their own lives.

Feel dreadfully sorry for friends who do this on sm, tend to have little joy in rl and I can always tell they are having problems when the boasting posts increase to cover their unhappiness.

why shouldn't we boast about our kids? They're amazing little people.

As I said earlier, actual significant milestones (Uni, grammar school acceptance, driving tests, overcoming illness etc) - fine. Everyone does that. Brag away.

Reasons why it's not a good idea to boast about mundane things like how many little Timmy can count to or that they can divide big numbers in their head-

1. No one cares - if you want to make friends and keep people on side, don't bore them half to death (especially with school parents, as wrong as it is, I've found working in a school the kids of odd or annoying parents don't get play date invitations).
2. As someone else up thread put far more eloquently than I'm about to - sending the message that their value is placed on their status with others is more damaging than you'd like to believe. Inspire them, boast to your kids, don't let them think that they're a prize that needs to keep up with your expectations.
3. If they think they have to do very little to be seen as the best kids in the world in your eyes you may find they end up actually achieving very little

Threads like this just cement the fact that some people really are a different breed entirely.

Quite mindblowing, this odd sense of pride some of you have...

Oh Glummy. You do live up to your name.

CutToChase ha! Both of mine were late walkers and late to teeth. Neither crawled, both bum shuffled.

I heard 's/he'll get there' alot.

Pleased to report that both can now walk and have their full complement of teeth.

Phew.

I do tell my dc dolls I’m proud of them to their rubbery faces

😂😂😂

Rubber faces? My creepy dolls faces are made of porcelain

@Nursejackie1

... scurrying off back in my box to be all demure and act like a real lady *@feministcom*

What on earth are you going on about? I think you are now arguing with yourself. Who told you to be a lady?

@worriedaboutrecording

CutToChase ha! Both of mine were late walkers and late to teeth. Neither crawled, both bum shuffled.

I heard 's/he'll get there' alot.

Pleased to report that both can now walk and have their full complement of teeth.

Phew.

Both of mine were nearly two before they walked. I boasted anyway. Because I was proud of them for getting there.

I'm not very fast, but I'm quite loud. I suspect it'll depend on how loud I shout.

Lol!

Most cringe was the single mum boasting about her 10 yr old daughter having a boyfriend. She kept going on about the 'romantic date' that she had organised and failed to pick up on the horror all around.

@imissthebubonicplague can I ask why it's relevant that she's single?

@imissthebubonicplague

Most cringe was the single mum boasting about her 10 yr old daughter having a boyfriend. She kept going on about the 'romantic date' that she had organised and failed to pick up on the horror all around.

Ok, this one I can agree is a bit weird and icky.

We used to know a family who all had a tendency to brag - the report on one of their Y2 SATs became family lore - ‘unfortunately Oscar’s spelling was only average’...

Don't know if I can write this without seeming like I'm bragging, but it makes me laugh so...

We were out in park and met another parent, who made a big deal of pointing to the sky at the airplanes and asking her daughter "what do you call the cloud behind the plane darling? That's right, it's a jet stream, clever girl!"
Cue my DD (2) throwing herself onto the ground wailing "it's not that! It's a contrail!" 10/10 for knowledge, 2/10 for manners!
(We had a long and boring lockdown in the countryside. Contrails were a big deal).

Glummy sorry probably should have said unhappy to be single mum ! it seemed her own desire for a man was influencing what she considered a desirable quality in her dd.

I've just remembered, at a baby group when DD was 2 months old, one mum was bragging that her DS could lift his head off the floor, and about my DD (who couldn't at that point) "oh don't worry she'll get there".

No shit Sherlock. Here was me worried that, at age 19, she'll still be flat face down on the floor, and I'll be saying "well she just never quite grasped head lifting".

I’m crying at this 😂😂😂😂😂

oh dear, I'm guilty. It's the parents evening one - my child is so polite and well mannered apparently. He not the brightest academically so I was so proud and have told about 5 of my friends.

I saw a post today on a local FB group from a mother showing her daughter and daughter's clothes for sixth form, on a youtube video. The daughter looked very nice and rather shy, mum was doing all the talking and prompting her to show the clothes.

I said the girl looked good but it was an odd thing to post. She came back and said there was nothing wrong with it to which I replied, nothing actually wrong but rather pointless and embarrassing.

I am now banned from the group.

My friend had proudly told me how her 3 year old DD had learned to ride a bike over lockdown. When a mutual friend later posted to a WhatsApp group that her 10 year had mastered bike riding, we all said something nice. That wouldn’t have been the time to bring up the 3 year old.

If asked, I might say my child likes running, maths and reading but hates handwriting and broccoli. No one needs the details.

I don’t mind a bit of a boast in the right context. I do object to fibbing, putting others down and attention seeking.

@lboogy

Sounds like a bit of a bitter post tbh. Some parents put in a lot of work into developing their kids and are proud when they see the hard work paying off. Sorry that upsets you.

Uh huh. ‘Developing’ your kids? They’re not a recipe to be ‘developed’ until ‘perfected’ in your view Odd way of putting it!

@MsTSwift

Dh parents are the opposite neither went to university both left school at 16 and don’t think even now they really appreciate how well dh has done! The best they can say is “he’s never given us any trouble” he was a county sportsman worked his arse off and got to Cambridge to read law from quite a shit comp! They should flipping boast!

Perhaps they measure success in a different way . Some people are quite satisfied if their children seem happy, have a job they enjoy (no matter how much it pays ) and have good friendships/ relationships. My DS dropped out of 6th form and did an apprenticeship, he's worked so hard and grown so much as a person . I really wouldn't be any more proud if he'd got a first at Cambridge.

Pretty much everything my SIL says about her child makes me cringe.
According to her he's so "chill" and easy going and good, well behaved and gentle.

He is none of those things.

“The midwife said she had never seen such a strong bond between mother and son” posted on the photo to announce the baby’s arrival on Facebook.
“X already knows and responds to his name, I was talking on the phone and said his name and could see him lifting his head and searching for me” X was 2 weeks old.
“My little genius is teething already poor baba” said at 3 weeks old
-followed by a photo of his first tooth at 5 months.
“My little man is walking he’s so advanced and we are so proud”
Photo of a 6 month old ‘standing’ with their full weight resting against her.
“X has been saying grandad all day”
Video of a 7 month baby grunting.
And on and on and on.
The kid is 4 now and is already the most academically talented child the nursery have ever seen. She is told daily how kind and gentle he is and how every single child in the nursery wants to be his best friend because he’s so lovely.

We met up with them in august. He bit dd1 when she said no to playing a game and pushed dd2 over. We left pretty sharply

@newusername2009

oh dear, I'm guilty. It's the parents evening one - my child is so polite and well mannered apparently. He not the brightest academically so I was so proud and have told about 5 of my friends.

Politeness and good manners are far more important than speaking bloody Mandarin and knowing your marmosets from your tarsiers!

I bet you didn't spout off to all who would listen (and those who wouldn't!) about 'well, of course little Jonathan has excellent manners' and that's the difference between pride/joy and plain old boasting.