Whether you're new to parenting or on your third or fourth kid, I think we can all agree that raising children isn't easy.
Mistakes will be made along the way, whether that's forgetting to change a poopy diaper, dropping your baby, or leaving your older child in charge.
The good news is that you're not alone! Come take comfort in these 19 parenting fails.
Oh, the secondhand embarrassment is real here!
We can only imagine that the mother was never seen at school pick-up again. I mean, how could you show your face to the other parents after this?!
"So the other night I remembered that one of the kids had lost a tooth that day and I didn't have any cash. So I stole a dollar out of their piggy bank and put it under their pillow. I mean, whatever works right?" - u/deleted
Teaching your child how to ride a bike is a monumental moment in a parent's life.
While this usually happens on an empty street, this dad chose an area beside a cliff! Cut to his son almost riding right over!
This Redditor was in a hardware store when he ran into his boss, who had yet to meet his family.
As he did introductions, a tool fell onto his daughter's foot and cut her toe. She screamed, "I HATE THIS STORE! TAKE ME OUT OF HERE, NOW!" and proceeded to cry very loudly.
This Redditor is one of those people who literally dropped their son on his head. This happened during a family photo shoot when they were holding their son.
Since their stepson also wanted to be held, they dropped the baby when leaning to pick up the other child.
You can't really blame this mom. When there are a dozen little kids who all look the same at school pick-up, it's a surprise more parents don't take home the wrong kid more often.
"I didn't pay enough attention to how much candy my 4yo was shoving down his throat, but I sure paid the price after he projectile vomited in the car. Thankfully he was completely fine afterwards and had no problem keeping down the healthier Easter dinner." - u/deleted
"I was holding his hands and then swinging him up into the air, which he was thoroughly enjoying. We did it several times until his arm collided with my leg. He went from laughing uncontrollably to wailing in pain. His arm was hanging limply, half bent." - u/HillbillyThinkTank
Many kids remember the pain that comes from their parents brushing their hair or cutting it. They are just so rough! So this child was totally allowed to freak out when Mom got the clippers out again.
"Poopy pull up (2 year old) . Didn't get to it in time. Poop in the mouth. THEN, I didn't check the temperature before I threw him into the hastily run bath and he screamed bloody murder because the water was too hot." -u/WhoaGabbaGabba
"I thought my son was speech delayed but the doctor told us not to worry. 1 year later he has not made alot of progress. Now he is enrolled in a program for only the next six months that may not help us much because we waited so long." - u/Rclat89
That's definitely a nickname you don't want to call your son. But, hey, it's better than some of the nicknames swear words parents give their kids when they're really upset at them.
"Once at a BBQ I was holding my infant (like 4 months old) and drinking a beer. I spilled some beer on his head. I wasn't drunk, that was my only beer - just clumsy. I washed him good but his mom still smelled it on him later and busted me." - u/chintzy
"My daughter was maybe two on a camping trip. We had one of those M-F pill holders with some anti anxiety medicine in it. She got into it while we were unloading the minivan." - u/BigWolfUK
This is how animal phobias are started, people! Thank goodness for the soft landing.
On the bright side, these parents will have the only child who doesn't demand a pony from them.
"The other day some lady cut me off and then stopped in the middle of the lane to turn left despite there being a turn lane. I yelled YOU [expletive] [expletive]! Then I hear this tiny voice come from the back of my car 'What's a [expletive] [expletive]?" And that was the day I taught my 2.5 y/o the word [expletive] and [expletive]." - u/Somerset3282
"Thinking that 5 year olds don’t put weird [expletive] in their mouth anymore. Mine tried to eat the lense from a baby monitor camera. He bit it, and it shattered. I couldn’t find all the pieces and he wasn’t sure if he swallowed any. That was a fun ER trip." - u/GloInTheDarkUnicorn
If there's one parenting rule parents must follow, it's this: never leave a baby on a flat surface unattended! So many parents have left them on the bed or changing table only for them to fall right off.
"Trusted my 18 year old brother to watch my son. He made my son go on the top bunk of his bed so he wouldn't have to deal with him while he played a video game. My son looked over the edge and got clipped by the fan right above his eyebrow. He has a big scar now." - u/theonethesongisabout
