Article created by: Shelly Fourer

Becoming a parent is a transformative experience. Depending on how you were brought up, your approach to raising your child may take one of two forms: you either swear not to repeat the same mistakes or unknowingly commit them again. 

Today’s list is more about the latter. We’ve collected responses from a recent Reddit thread in which people shared the parenting mistakes they’ve experienced and later realized they’ve repeated with their own kids. 

These replies involve giving a child the “because I said so” treatment, losing patience, and failing to show positive reinforcement, among many others. If you’re a mom or dad yourself, are you guilty of these? Let us know in the comments. 

This post may include affiliate links.

#1

Father smiling at baby on a striped bed, highlighting parental mistakes in relatable moments. My dad was a workaholic and never got much time to spend with him. I find it hard to spend time with my kids. I'm there physically, its just hard emotionally.

agedwisdom , Sandra Seitamaa Report

Final score:
0points
POST
RELATED:
    #2

    Father and son in a tense argument, highlighting common parenting mistakes. Loosing my patience. Honestly, the stress of being a working parent has given me more empathy for my own.

    DaintyBadass , miksturaproduction Report

    Final score:
    0points
    POST
    #3

    Parent yelling at child sitting on bed, highlighting parenting mistakes. Yelling. I hated it when I was a kid and swore I'd never do it myself.

    Justcallmeaunty , weyo Report

    Final score:
    0points
    POST
    #4

    Woman reflecting on parenting mistakes, looking thoughtful with a blurred outdoor background. Trying to be ‘perfect’ instead of just being present. My parents stressed over little things, and now I catch myself doing the same. Learning to let go and enjoy the moment more.

    trevoriffic_ , engin akyurt Report

    Final score:
    0points
    POST
    #5

    Young boy in a white shirt, deep in thought, representing common parenting mistakes. Taking their bad mood out on me (emotionally, not physically), then feeling guilty and overcompensating by being extra sweet later after calming down. That leads to a disorganized attachment style and fear of intimacy. Kids shouldn’t be subjected to such emotional volatility.

    CaliCat1291 , Getty Images Report

    Final score:
    0points
    POST
    #6

    Sad child sitting on a bed, reflecting on parents' mistakes in a cozy bedroom setting. Comparing siblings to each other.

    rnd1973 , dikushin Report

    Final score:
    0points
    POST
    #7

    A concerned woman in a blue shirt ponders parenting mistakes at a wooden table. Being an overly critical perfectionist .

    emryldmyst , EyeEm Report

    Final score:
    0points
    POST
    #8

    Child on a couch using a smartphone, highlighting parenting mistakes with device usage. Too much screen time.... It's just easy when I need some quiet time, or need to get things done without a cling on.

    anastasiaviolet29 , Andrej Lišakov Report

    Final score:
    0points
    POST
    #9

    A cheerful child in a denim jacket smiling beside a tree, representing common parenting mistakes. My 3 year old has started saying "hey!" To get my attention. I keep replying "Hay is for horses." I always promised myself I wouldn't do that.

    Ok-Masterpiece-4716 , wirestock Report

    Final score:
    0points
    POST
    #10

    Young boy looking thoughtful, wearing a beige shirt, symbolizing parents' mistakes with kids. Not showing genuine emotions/positive reinforcement.

    Cheetodude625 , freepik Report

    Final score:
    0points
    POST
    #11

    A young child with a sad expression, highlighting common parenting mistakes affecting kids. Telling my kid ‘because I said so’ instead of actually explaining things. I hated it as a kid, but now I totally get why my parents did it—sometimes you just don’t have the energy to argue with a 5-year-old.

    AdNext5396 , Getty Images Report

    Final score:
    0points
    POST
    #12

    Pensive woman reflecting on parenting mistakes, wearing a light sweater in a dimly lit room. Desiring my child to be like me. Mind you, I don’t actually try to make them like me but sometimes I want them to be interested in my interests and share my passions but I know that my child is their own person. My mother consistently pushed me to try to be like her and my dad. My father, thankfully was always the reasonable one in the family and always pushed back against her when she badgered us about fitting into her “norm”. I won’t say I resented her for it because I still love her dearly but it made growing up hard because it took me forever to find out who I was and get my individuality.

    TheClungerOfPhunts , engin akyurt Report

    Final score:
    0points
    POST
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #13

    Man sleeping on a couch with a dog, demonstrating a common parent mistake of frequent napping. Letting "five more minutes" turn into an hour.

    Maleficent-Shine-154 , Sandra Seitamaa Report

    Final score:
    0points
    POST
    #14

    Two smiling children lying down, laughing together, highlighting common parenting mistakes. Their mistake was HAVING children. I am making sure I don't make that mistake.

    The9gods , https://unsplash.com/photos/sister-having-fun-in-the-bad-and-sharing-moments-of-love-0xBYNvU6jc8 Report

    Final score:
    0points
    POST
    #15

    A sad child in white shirt being comforted, representing parenting mistakes. Talking badly about myself in front of my kid. I inadvertently taught my kid to hate himself too. Recognized it by the time he was 11, but the damage was done.

    chubsmagrubs , Getty Images Report

    Final score:
    0points
    POST
    #16

    A young child with a sad expression, highlighting common parenting mistakes made by parents. Saying no without being able to explain exactly why.

    prodbfsg17 , Getty Images Report

    Final score:
    0points
    POST
    #17

    A worried parent sitting on a couch, holding their head, reflecting on parenting mistakes. Allowing my kids to see some of my anxiety. I try to keep a lid on it, because I know the reason I have it is because of how much my mother's very open anxiety shaped mine, but it slips out here and there (broken glass is a trigger).

    Justafana , freepik Report

    Final score:
    0points
    POST
    #18

    Mother with two daughters kissing her cheeks, highlighting parenting mistakes and lessons. I (35, F) grew up without a mother. She left when I was a toddler and gave up full custody to my dad. I had a series of step mothers, but they were mostly short lived and weren't very kind to me. I now have two daughters, and I try to act like what I imagine a mother should be. My references for behavior are from a Mish mash of friends moms and tv/movie characters. I just hope I'm doing well by them.

    bbreland , gpointstudio Report

    Final score:
    0points
    POST
    #19

    Young boy on a swing looking thoughtful, illustrating parental mistakes with kids. Being antisocial with other parents and having it limit my own kids' social circles.

    Lo_Reiter , freepik Report

    Final score:
    0points
    POST
    #20

    Woman cooking in a kitchen with fresh lemons, emphasizing common parenting mistakes through nurturing skills. Showing love with food.

    TheVeronica3 , Jason Briscoe Report

    Final score:
    0points
    POST
    #21

    Mother and daughter sitting on a couch, discussing parents' mistakes in parenting. I don't have children but I predict that I'll be a helicopter parent.

    MissMcFrostynips , Omar Lopez Report

    Final score:
    0points
    POST
    #22

    Woman relaxing on a park bench in casual attire, thoughtful expression, representing parental mistakes reflection. Trusting me sometimes when they shouldn't have.

    Fresh_Tea_1215 , Victoria Romulo Report

    Final score:
    0points
    POST
    See Also on Bored Panda

    Anyone can write on Bored Panda. Start writing!

    Follow Bored Panda on Google News!