5 Things Other Parents Do That Drive Me Completely Bonkers

We all have them - parenting pet peeves. I could probably write a list of 200 instead of just five, but hey, I'm a parent. This is all I have time for. Feel free to add your own in the comments!

1) Anything that shows up when you go to ‘google images’ and type in ‘parent fail’. Yeah, you can do better than that. 

2) Why is your child at the park/library/play group with flushed cheeks and snot running down his face? I’m not unreasonable - I can understand that there are vital tasks that arise, and sometimes you just can’t avoid taking an ill child on a quick grocery run or some other essential errand. And I know Junior is probably a little whiny and cranky due to his illness, and you’re probably about to lose your mind from being cooped up in the house with him, but you are not winning any brownie points with the other parents when your kid is coughing his germs all over their kids during storytime. If the trip is optional, keep him home.

(And a special thanks to whomever passed on “the gift that keeps on giving” to my kids on our outing to the park last week.)

3) Lazy Threats. It’s none of my business how you choose to discipline. You are the parent, and I leave that entirely up to you. But here’s a word of advice – If your child is acting up and you say, “Sally Sue, stop doing that right now or we’re leaving,” and Sally Sue does it again….LEAVE. You are not going to convince Sally of the seriousness of your warning by allowing her to repeat her transgressions, while you stand there idly reiterating your requests.

She’s onto you.

4) Playing loud, really bad music in your car. It’s sad enough that your taste in music is so awful. Do you really have to pass it on to your children?

5) Making comments about another person’s parenting within earshot. We all have our opinions, but the polite thing to do is to keep it to yourself until you are someplace private (like in front of your computer, writing a blog).

This is especially true when your opinion is completely stupid.

Example: The summer when my daughter was about six months old, I was loading her into the shopping cart to go into the grocery store, and I overheard a couple passing by:

“It’s too hot out. That baby has too many clothes on.”

“Yeah…poor thing.”

Really? Cause she’s wearing a tank top and a skirt, and we’re walking from an air conditioned car into an air conditioned building.

Opinion = Stupid

Bonus Point) Don’t judge my parenting skills. I don’t judge yours.

Oh wait…oops. J

This post is part of the Listable Life series. Check out more lists here: