What's your WORST parenting mistake?

[Convergent]

Just that, really! I have an 11 month old, and I constantly feel like I'm f*cking up one way or the other, so please 'fess up to your sins for the greater good and enlightenment of us poor beginners...

Let me see:

DS on the floor at three months as I was cleaning and repeatedly saying to myself don't tread on the baby - and I trod on him, right on his testicles.

Going to a tourist attraction - five minutes in asking DH to have a picture with DS - he puts him on a fence and lets go. Cue DS falling on his face from four feet and blood everywhere and a trip to A and E.

DS - eight months old rolled out of a hotel bed - on to a bin and now has a boyband scar in his eyebrow.

DH telling ASD DS to sit still whilst shaving his head - asking for my help and ended up shaving his ear.

We're much more careful second time round - at the weekend 18 month DD climbed on a chair and fell over the stair gate straight on to her forehead!

We've never locked ourselves out of the car but pre-DC, my DH decided he was caught short and nipped up a country lane. He was only wearing a t-shirt. Unfortunately our dog jumped on the autolock button, leaving DH freezing and trying to persuade her to jump back on the button (no chance). Green flag man was very amused.

As it stands, having them. I'm a shit mother, love them to bits but just shit.

One that sticks in my mind - DD was being a sod, cycling off on her bike (she was about 3), so I chased her and grabbed her bike. Don't ask - I really didn't think it through in terms of physics (no surprise there) and what would happen to the moving bike when I grabbed it....more to the point, what would happen to the bike and my daughter. Result? She crashed to the ground, bike on top of her, and me on top of bike.

Fortunately, we all got away with a few scrapes and the voice of DD yelling "WHY DID YOU DO THAT?' ringing in my ear for days hours.

When my DD1 and DS were around 6 and 8, I accidentally put dog chews in their school lunchboxes. I grabbed the 'cereal bars' from the reduced shelves in the local co-op. They had pictures of cartoon puppies on them. My DD1 returned the whole thing to me after school, and drew my attention to my minor parenting fuck up slip-up. DS ate his. 'It tasted like gravy'.

I once drove my DH to work as his car wouldn't start and left my DS aged 2 in bed. Only realised just before we got to DH's work and OMG I drove home rather fast!

Left newborn in his pushchair in the newsagent and walked home...

Trapped DD's fingers in the front door - the back door was open and it caused a kind of vacuum. Trouble is the front door could only be opened from the outside with a key - I was outside she was inside. I fully expected to find bits of finger drop on the floor when DH finally opened the door! Luckily she had some very nasty cuts and flat knuckles for a while but no other damage although she still has scars to this day.

I'm pretty sure there are loads more, it's just remembering them!

And many occasions of not strapping car seat/baby in, tripping them up, walking in to them, falling downstairs with them in my arms.....

I stood at the bay window in our kitchen.

Overlooked an unfenced 6ft drop into a wee river.

There was a gate to keep dc away.

Watched our ducks drop one-by-one into the river.

Thought "ooh lovely, dd2 is following the ducks"

Watched dd2 (2.5) jump into the river.

Thought " ....... "

Though "fuuuuuuuuckk!" And ran for it!

Friends arrived 30 mins later, I was still sitting on the kitchen sofa, crying, dd2 all cleaned up and dressed and playing. I was soaked to the skin, I hadn't noticed!

She had some cuts and bumps to her forehead and nose, but no lasting damage!

Mine is so terrible I hardly dare to admit it

I was at a farm years ago with dd1 (2) and dd2 (6 months). Dd2 had been over-tired and crotchety and as we walked round I kept rocking the pram hoping she'd go off for a much-needed sleep.

We were waiting in a long queue for dd1 to have a tractor ride. Of course dd2 fell asleep in the pram just when it was our turn. I couldn't bear to wake dd2 and didn't want to disappoint dd1 so I left the baby in the pram while I took dd1 on the tractor. I had figured I wouldn't be out of sight and could still see the pram. BUT the tractor went right round the field and out of sight of the pram. I was inwardly panicking all the way round. It must have only been a few minutes but it seemed like a lifetime. The relief I felt to get off that tractor when I saw dd2 safely in her pram I will never forget.

This was 11 years ago and I still feel guilty I think sleep deprivation must have affected my ability to think properly.

allowing an Xbox into my home...

Buying them a playstation (slippery slope)
Being very very drunk and dancing with dd in my arms. I fell over. (She was ok)
Giving most of my attention to ds1 (sn as) and not enough to twin brothers.

I left DS1 in the bike seat propped up against the wall whilst I unlocked the front door. Of course it tipped, and I couldnt hold it and it went slam on the ground. He was shaken up but protected by the seat thank god (and it landed on grass not concrete) Several years later, I was walking the bike across the road, lost control of it and dropped it. Yup, with DS2 on the back. Right onto the tarmac. Cue lots of honking as the lights turned green as the cars behind didn't realise why the one in front wasn't moving. He was also fine. I was not. Can't believe I did it again!

Much like Hecate up thread too many to mention but they're all still breathing!
Classics include not being strict enough with DS's sleep routine. Bit us on the arse for years and he's still rather nocturnal now.
Locking DD1 in the house when I took the bin out. The front door was locked and the back door was on the latch, it slammed behind me. The longest half hour of my life occurred while I waited for DH to come home from work with his key.
Forgetting to put parental restrictions on DS's smartphone, particularly YouTube until I checked it and realised he had discovered porn. That is one lesson well learned!! His phone is now locked up tighter than a bats arse.

Oh god you will all feel a lot better after reading my hideous parenting mistakes

The other day my dh1 thought the other was going to be at home for the school bus arriving, neither was- poor 7 yo came home to no one, we live in the country, he climbed through the woods to our neighbours, thank god they were home. I arrived 20 mins later horrified to find a message from my neighbour. It won't happen again!

When he was 2.5 I was on the computer, and he was wanting me to play with him, I told him to watch out for his dad coming home expecting him to go to the livingroom window - he quietly let himself out and wandered down the cul de sac towards main road, my husband saw him and picked him up and a woman followed him to check as she thought he was being kidnapped!!! Felt sick and couldn't sleep for a week with guilt and different scenarios going round my head.

Dh trapped same ds's finger in door which we thought was just bruised. A health visitor said that if bone was Danegeld he could get hideous bone infection - rush to a&e but thankfully all well.

I slipped on wet floor holding tiny ds2 facing forward - I was hysterical on the phone to emergency services, ambulance was so fast, I was still on the phone! Again thankfully he was fine.

I regularly let them eat in front of TV at dinner time

I often shout in the mornings!!!

Thought confessing would be cathartic but now I feel overwhelmed by my crapness!!

Two more broken bone fails here - didn't take DS to hospital when he fell off a (small low) chair. 48 hrs later, when it had swollen and started to bruise we finally went, to discover his wrist was broken.

Step-sis did same with her DS when he jumped off a chair, 48 hrs later she discovered he'd broken his leg.

Bloody hell!!

While I have every sympathy for everyone on this thread who's had a scare, I have just laughed out loud and am continuing to snigger at "it tasted like gravy"

I have a problem with straps.

I have tipped ds out of his buggy. He was asleep, when I put him in, so though it was fine.

Strapped ds into car seat, and then had car seat loose on back seat and did an emergency break...

Dd1 sat in shopping trolley while I unloaded the car, as I turned my back, the trolley started rolling across the car park.

Getting onto the train back home after a night in London, we checked if we had all our bags, but forgot to count the children. Suddenly we heard a loud scream as the doors locked and 4yo dd2 was running along the train in a panicked as the train was about to leave. We had to pull the emergency brake!

Dh left peanuts out and I found our peanut allergic dd2 munching one. Swift action was taken and luckily she didn't react badly. Dh got a right bollocking though!

Never answer the phone while painting the walls with a 4yo and 2yo around!

Holding my iPhone above newborn DS face to take a photo.....and promptly dropping it.

He cried for 10 mins and got over it unscathed. I threw up and cried for about a week afterwards. I still get nauseous when I replay it in my mind

Baby led weaning with my twins - about 7 months old I think. Dished up a roast dinner with the carefully separated spuds and meat for them (to cool down). Poured just off the hob gravy onto their trays to dip the food into......totally forgetting it was, you guessed it, totally red hot.

Both ok but I was so upset. Couldn't believe I was that stupid. I think I was trying to be really blase because my mum was visiting and had completely pooh-poohed BLW making me feel a bit shit.

Ds also escaped the house at 7 am to go to the park aged 2yo. Interestingly he told me the story of how he did it this weekend. 10 by years on he still remembers!

Dd1 was lost once a year for a while. Proper little escape artist that child!

I tripped over a doorway on a ferry carrying 11 month old DD2. As I fell I realised she was going to hit her head hard so I twisted and dropped to the ground to take out some of the impact. She still hit fairly hard so I ignored everyone else who had rushed over and gave her a thorough check over (nurse). She had a lump on her forehead but was screaming very effectively and there was a tone of indignation in there.

'Err do you know you're bleeding?' someone asked me. No I didn't feel the friction burn removing most of the skin from my knee. Blood was happily trickling down my leg.

Ooh, I've just noticed we've made it into Discussions of the Day! How embarrassing exciting.

Saying "she'll sleep well tonight"