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Original poster

Pls tell me parents are *not* playing this trick on their children

206 replies

tiktok · 01/04/2020 12:08

I’ve just seen reports on Twitter that some parents are telling their kids school has started again, seeing them get excited....and then telling them ‘april Fool!’ .....and videoing their distress and posting on Facebook for LOLS.

This is really upsetting me. I can’t believe people would be so cruel.

I am not sure I believe these stories. Has anyone seen these posts?

OP posts:
AnaphylacticAnnabelle · 01/04/2020 22:47

I'm not a complete joy thief.

If it was an inset day, in normal non COVID times fallling on 1st April- while its not what I'd do? It would seem fairly harmless.

It's the timing that's so incredibly crap and insensitive..

BeetrootRocks · 01/04/2020 22:49

Why is this funny?
Why has my lovely friend shared one of these?
Is there some kind of psychological thing going on? That it helps?? Somehow for some people.

Don't get it at all.

Connie222 · 02/04/2020 09:15

The awful thing is, the children on the receiving end will remember this for the rest of their lives. Not only are they in a time of great stress (even if they don’t show it, their worlds are vastly different at the moment so it’s all going in), and now they are being unsettled by their parents being utter arseholes to them.

It’s such a horrid thing to do when children already have so much to try and get their heads around. Now is the time for parents to make their children feel as secure as possible, not to use them for a cheap laugh.

It’s something my parents would have done to me - they loved a laugh at my expense and it’s something I’ve carried with me. so I guess I’m more sensitive about it. There is no way I would do that to my children at the best of times, let alone now.

Slippersandacuppa · 02/04/2020 09:20

A friend did this. They’ve got two girls - one absolutely lives for school, the other loathes it. The first one got her uniform ready, bag packed and hopped into bed so she’d be ready in the morning. The other went to her room and sobbed. The next day when they were told, the first one couldn’t stop crying and the second one was so furious she didn’t leave her room. I don’t think he was doing it as a joke and would question whether any parent doing this thought it would be. He was doing it because they’d been hard work Sad

MangoesAreMyFavourite · 02/04/2020 09:24

Slippersandacuppa so basically revenge for being hard work?! That is so sad!

Poor kids - they will remember it all their lives and will be on the stately homes threads when they are older

Slippersandacuppa · 02/04/2020 09:31

Yep. And they are very hard work but they are very unhappy - so where does the fault lie? The sad thing is that the eldest was due to see a counsellor a couple of weeks ago but came down with symptoms so had to stay at home :(

AccioCake · 02/04/2020 09:47

I hate pranks. I saw one of these shared by a comedian on Facebook. One of his fans had done it. The boy actually did find it funny and his cheeks turned bright red in embarrassment but it still made me uncomfortable. All the comments were about what a great sense of humour the boy had. My DS loves his school and he's missing his friends. If I did this he would be devastated.

I hate any prank that sets out to make someone feel bad or humiliate them in some way. And now that every single thing has to be shared on social media some parents are falling over themselves to show how funny they are at the expense of their own children.

Likefootball · 02/04/2020 09:50

It makes you wonder about the intelligence of some people

AccioCake · 02/04/2020 09:55

Just saw a post on my local Facebook group asking if anyone had pranked their children. Someone said they had done it and then their DS got upset because he was looking forward to seeing his friends and now she feels bad. Idiot.

BeetrootRocks · 02/04/2020 09:58

Isn't it obvious telling them they will be able to play with their friends, and get back to normal, and do their clubs and stuff

And then saying haha not really. And there's no end date for this situation so not like ok you'll see then next week though

Isn't it obvious they will be upset, possibly very upset?

pollysproggle · 02/04/2020 10:31

God forbid we ever tease our kids for our own entertainment- someone call social services!!

MarieQueenofScots · 02/04/2020 10:42

God forbid we ever tease our kids for our own entertainment

If you put your own entertainment over the wellbeing of your children, then you're not a very good parent.

What is being described here isn't mild teasing, it is an incredibly cruel course of action and yes, like a PP I question the intelligence of anyone who thinks it's amusing.

Original poster
tiktok · 02/04/2020 14:11

Teasing kids for your own, adult, entertainment? Ugh.

Why would any parent be this self-centered?

I don't think it's exaggeration to call this toxic.

Some teasing for others' entertainment is inevitable in life....it doesn't have to start at home.

OP posts:
alloutoffucks · 02/04/2020 14:20

I see some people who do this to their kids minimising it on this thread. I used to have the same conversations with parents who regularly hit their kids. Lots of parents think because you love your kids, then you are a good parent. Sadly it does not work like that.

Notredamn · 02/04/2020 14:44

For our own entertainment

You say that like it's normal. I've never used my kids as a means of entertainment, nor do I think deliberately setting out to tease them would give me any. But I'm not twisted like that.

YumMum007 · 02/04/2020 15:02

Why is everyone so stressed about things?! Chill. Relax.

We all need a bit of fun during these times. I've watched loads of them. Can't stop laughing.

pigsDOfly · 02/04/2020 15:06

God forbid we ever tease our kids for our own entertainment

Are you serious? Have you no insight into how horrible that sounds?

Miriel · 02/04/2020 15:16

When kids tease other kids for their own entertainment, in a way that deliberately distresses the kids being teased, we call it bullying.

An April Fool's joke that everyone will find funny is fine. Laughing at someone else getting upset over a 'joke' isn't. It's just nasty.

BeetrootRocks · 02/04/2020 15:41

I think some people are trolling

Very few people surely think it's brilliant to really upset their kids and then laugh in their faces at their distress.

pollysproggle · 02/04/2020 16:44

I don't think it's brilliant but this stuff has been around long before now. It's an age old prank my own mum played on me and my sister as a child. The only difference now is filming on phones and social media.

I saw a video recently of a mum pretending to chop her finger off while cooking to prank her kids- hilarious, I've hid in a cupboard and jumped out on my kids, scared the bejesus out of my 3 year old. Does that make me a bad mum and should I worry about long term damage because I thought it was funny? I expect he'll need years of therapy after that incident.
Kids cry over all sorts of things and then get over it very quickly. Ever seen a video of parents telling their kids they're having a baby sister/brother and the kids break down in tears because it's not the one they wanted?
Lighten up for god sake.
You may not do it your kids and put on social media, I didn't and don't actually put anything on social media about my kids but I don't presume to know how other people's children will be affected long term by it and compare it to hitting. Utter judgy nonsense.

BeetrootRocks · 02/04/2020 19:52

'I don't think it's brilliant but this stuff has been around long before now. It's an age old prank my own mum played on me and my sister as a child. The only difference now is filming on phones and social media.'

The only difference ? What about the fact we're at the start of a global pandemic with an unprecedented response, children are stuck at home with their families, no school, no seeing or playing with friends, no clubs, no outings, no park etc etc

Making your kids cry and then laughing in their faces is a dick move at the best of times, let alone now.

pollysproggle · 02/04/2020 20:16

@BeetrootRocks
Are we in a pandemic? I hadn't noticed..thanks for the info!

We're all in the same boat, this is the way some people choose to make light of the situation so it's not all doom and gloom. It may not be in your taste but it's not child abuse.

BeetrootRocks · 02/04/2020 20:19

I never said it was child abuse.

I said it was a dick move to tell your little kid they were going to see all their friends, drag it out getting them in uniform etc, walk them to school and say haha not really, then laugh in their face when they burst into tears. Oh, and it could be weeks or months before they can play with their friends again, there's no timeline.

You disagree and think that this is just the ticket to cheer (who?) Up.

We are both allowed to think differently, obviously.

pollysproggle · 02/04/2020 20:32

@BeetrootRocks
Of course we can think differently. The popularity of these videos shows that doesn't it?
You didn't say it's child abuse but this thread suggests it.
I actually haven't seen many and definitely yes, what you just described sounds a bit extra and mean, there is going too far with any practical joke and they'll always be some people that do take it too far.

I've only seen ones where the kids don't want to go to school and the parents pretend they have to. No mean ones yet!

BeetrootRocks · 02/04/2020 20:33

Oh so you agree then. Good Smile