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Kids are the wonders of this world. Nobody really knows what’s on their mind, as they often come up with some very questionable decisions.

Like hiding stuff from their parents for undetermined reasons. And by stuff, we mean anything from ravioli and tomato stem circles to photographs, mobile phones, and you name it…

Let’s see what else parents had to say when someone asked the question “What are your kids currently attempting to hide from you?” and posted it on r/AskReddit. And while the "why?" part of the question may forever remain a mystery to us, it’s still amusing to see what our little ones have been up to without us knowing.

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#1

30 Parents Reveal What Secrets Their Kids Are Keeping From Them Without Knowing They're Already Aware Of It My two year old attempts to hide the family dog (who is 75 pounds) in various places in his room so that the dog can sleep in there with him. So far, I've found the dog in the closet, behind the curtains, surrounded by stuffed animals to "blend in," and on numerous occasions I've walked in the room to see a giant mound under the comforter at the foot of the bed. My son is astonished every single time that I have not only found the dog, but was even looking for him in the first place. On more than one occasion he even attempted to persuade me that he didn't even know we had a dog.

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#2

30 Parents Reveal What Secrets Their Kids Are Keeping From Them Without Knowing They're Already Aware Of It My kid would get up in the middle of the night and want a snack. He would sneak into the kitchen and eat a whole tomato except the little circle where it connected to the stem.

He hid the little stem circles under whatever was on top of the trash and would go to sleep.

We always made sure there were tomatoes for him.

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#3

My nine year old step daughter was in her room one day for like hours with markers and papers. I thought she was drawing or making a picture book or something so I let it slide. It turns out she had our calendar and was making cards for everyone for every holiday and birthday coming up. I haven’t asked her about it but I’m honestly super proud of her logic and long term planning abilities.

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Rainbow Panda
Rainbow Panda
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Epic long term planning abilities. I need to learn from this nine year old. 😅

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To find out more about hiding behavior in children, Bored Panda reached out to Kimberly Koljat, a licensed marriage and family therapist who specializes in children 3–12 years of age and believes that anyone can benefit from the work of the creative arts.

Kimberly said that first of all, the context of hiding behaviors is extremely important for understanding a child’s needs. “Developmental age, what is being hidden, relationships, and communication skills are important considerations.”

For example, “If a teen is hiding something from their parents, like objects in their room, they could be playing out behaviors related to a developmental task of 'individuation,' or working on their sense of identity separate from their caregivers.”

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#4

30 Parents Reveal What Secrets Their Kids Are Keeping From Them Without Knowing They're Already Aware Of It I thought my 15-year-old was diligently plugging the charger into her phone every night before going upstairs for bed...until I discovered she was actually plugging it into an empty phone case and taking her phone with her

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Foxxy (The Original)
Foxxy (The Original)
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4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sneaky, sneaky. My daughter couldn’t get away with that coz her phone case is clear plus she knows that if she sneaks her phone into her room she gets grounded.

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#5

My 16 y/o had a box of condoms with a price sticker from the Dollar Store in his backpack, he left it on my passenger seat and they fell out while I was shifting it to the back seat. I went and bought him a better brand and replaced them. We have never discussed it Edit- Thank you all so much for the great feedback, parenting is no easy task lol. To clarify, we have discussed sex, I only meant that we've never discussed the actual switching of the condom boxes

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Ivana
Ivana
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had an argument with my husband about this recently. I don't want my hypothetical children having sex too early in life but I do plan to have really frank conversations about sex and safe sex. If they are buying condoms they are having sex, so supplying them with quality condoms is the best move you can do as a parent.

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#6

I found a loaded one-shot Nerf gun under my 5-year-old daughter's pillow. When I asked her what she was doing with it, she whispered, 'It's for the tooth fairy

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ML
ML
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well you know what to expect in the middle of the night

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Meanwhile, if a child is hiding a photo of their grandparents they cherish, it can be part of “a soothing skill to hold onto their memory related to grief if they passed, or to carry the feeling of them with them while they’re apart,” explained Kimberly.

If a younger child is hiding candy, it could deal with “children testing limits with their caregivers (an important part of development for some children, exploring what boundaries are in place).”

It also depends on what kind of objects your child is hiding, Kimberly says. “Hiding food can be an entirely different behavior, and it’s important to know if there’s previous traumas, such as food scarcity in the family, or if there are other behaviors related to food to consider that could be indicators of disordered eating.”
#7

30 Parents Reveal What Secrets Their Kids Are Keeping From Them Without Knowing They're Already Aware Of It A few years ago, I was going through my son's (3rd grade) backpack and found a can of ravioli. That's all well, except I never bought any ravioli. When I asked him about it, he burst into tears and and pulled out a box under his bed filled with Ravioli! He then proceeded to tell me how this girl that picks on him and says they are married gives him ravioli everyday and makes him take it. I can just picture this girl's mother telling her the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

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Samantha Lomb
Samantha Lomb
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Still need to talk to the girl. Its clear he boy doesn't like her advances

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#8

30 Parents Reveal What Secrets Their Kids Are Keeping From Them Without Knowing They're Already Aware Of It We had a foster kid who hid about two handfuls of spaghetti with sauce under his pillow. We found it the next day while he was at school, cleaned it up, and never told him we found it. But we made sure to have spaghetti twice a week after that.

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Pasion Jones
Pasion Jones
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

im working on becoming a FP... then covid hit smh i just got a house with a 2nd BDRM and a big back yard.... now all i need is a little starting cash to buy the things they will need and finish my certs! i cant wait to help a young one since i cant have any of my own...

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#9

30 Parents Reveal What Secrets Their Kids Are Keeping From Them Without Knowing They're Already Aware Of It My daughter is trying to impress me by learning origami. She's 7 and doesn't think that Dad can see all the missing paper and the (messily but improving a lot) paper cranes hidden throughout her room. I bought 2 more reams of paper and just left them out on accident. Lazy old dad not putting up his office supplies.

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However, if a caregiver notices a pattern of hiding behavior, parents should “never directly move to reprimanding or punishing a child or directly questioning a child about it.” Kimberly explained that adults' means of expression and conversations will most likely not yield the results they wish for because children work through difficulties in their play.

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Kimberly suggests joining the child in play and leading a play session once a week with them. “The child may gain that sense of agency they could be seeking through the hiding behaviors and stop the behaviors outside the play sessions.”

Most importantly, parents should always stay curious about their child’s behavior. Kimberly urges parents to “spend some more positive time with the child to foster a greater sense of trust within the relationship.” In some more difficult cases, the support of a therapist may be the right solution.
#10

30 Parents Reveal What Secrets Their Kids Are Keeping From Them Without Knowing They're Already Aware Of It My 3-year-old nephew opens a bag of Lay's and sneaks two chips, then sneaks two more the next day, and so on. I will never have that kind of self-control.

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#11

30 Parents Reveal What Secrets Their Kids Are Keeping From Them Without Knowing They're Already Aware Of It He has a crush on the babysitter and tries to draw hearts to give to her. He also proposed.

He is 6

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#12

I just found out that my six-year-old locks the bathroom door so he can get some privacy. Last night I looked across the kitchen to see the door slightly ajar and my son engaging in his private time.

Doing push-ups.

I didn't say anything, just watched him finish his 5 reps, flex in the mirror and then walk out of the bathroom.

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Martha Meyer
Martha Meyer
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'd wonder why a six xear old thinks he needs muscles. Bullied at school? Weird body image picked up from media?

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#13

My daughter has a picture of her mother and I on our honeymoon. Been "hidden" under her bed for a long time. We've been divorced over 4 years now. She still keeps that picture under her pillow every night. It's still there actually. I don't have the heart to take it from her. Too bad her mother is a cold hearted blood sucking two faced whore. Tough to see every time it I change the sheets.

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Lærke Littlebird
Lærke Littlebird
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Let the picture stand in the open. No need for your daughter to feel guilty about it! No matter your relationship with your ex!

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#14

30 Parents Reveal What Secrets Their Kids Are Keeping From Them Without Knowing They're Already Aware Of It My daughter throws her lettuce under the table for the dog to eat. The dog doesn’t like lettuce.

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#15

30 Parents Reveal What Secrets Their Kids Are Keeping From Them Without Knowing They're Already Aware Of It The pez dispensers in his night stand. He eats them in secret pretty sparingly so I let it go.

He's 6.

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#16

30 Parents Reveal What Secrets Their Kids Are Keeping From Them Without Knowing They're Already Aware Of It Where her dad’s watch is. I know where she hides it. And I’ve seen her wear it pretending to be him. It’s so cute. I won’t tell my husband though.

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#17

My daughter has a stash of "candy" wrappers under her bed. She is 4 and thinks she's slick. The "candy" is dried prunes though. I put those in the candy jar because she kept stealing candy.

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#18

Conversation with daughter:

"Ok, so while I was changing your sister did you finish dinner"

"Yes daddy"

"ALL of it?"

"Yes"

"So if I look in the garbage can I'm not going to find any of your dinner in there?"

[Silence]

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RaroaRaroa
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If she doesn't want to eat it, don't make her. If she gets hungry she'll learn to eat her dinner next time. If she doesn't get hungry, then she's had enough and shouldn't eat more than she needs to anyway.

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#19

30 Parents Reveal What Secrets Their Kids Are Keeping From Them Without Knowing They're Already Aware Of It My 6 year old got out of bed early on Sunday morning to sneak downstairs and steal Monopoly money from the bank in the unfinished game from the night before which was left out on the table.

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#20

30 Parents Reveal What Secrets Their Kids Are Keeping From Them Without Knowing They're Already Aware Of It Everybody’s kids here are hiding books to read secretly. Mine’s hiding in his bedroom trying to use a glue stick like lip balm.

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DC
DC
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When my parents went to primary school ... late fifties, early sixties western germany ... there was a glue named "Pelikanol", made by the pen company Pelikan, that SMELLED like marcipane, but tasted, as they said, like crap. I recently read they added the smell on purpose, but still wonder why anyone would do this. Glue isn't meant to be eaten, or is it?

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#21

30 Parents Reveal What Secrets Their Kids Are Keeping From Them Without Knowing They're Already Aware Of It Fortunately my teenager (16, going on 17) doesn't try to hide much from me. She's a terrible liar and gets busted right away every time, so she just casually admits stuff these days. It's pretty great.

However, she's been sneaking her boyfriend over to the house during the day while I'm at work and thinks I'm clueless. Girl, I know you eat a lot, but there's no way you're going through half a loaf of bread by yourself in one day. You also left his glass of water on the coffee table...

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#22

Himself. It's nearly bedtime. 2 year old thinks I'll forget to put him to bed if he runs into another room for 30 seconds.

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#23

Our son (9) is taking his marbles to school and screwing other kids out of their marbles. He's got a real hustle going on there. He's not allowed to take any toys to school, hence why he's hiding it. I checked his school backpack and found probably a kilogram worth of marbles in there. We are having a talk this afternoon.

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#24

My almost 2yo has started telling me crazy stories as if they are real. He recently told me that our dog rides a motorcycle to go play with her friends.

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#25

My kid is 5. She sneaks food under her blanket (wrapped snacks) for later and is always amazed when I find them.

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Foxxy (The Original)
Foxxy (The Original)
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4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My daughter was terrible for stealing food. I used to find wrappers under her bed, behind her drawers, in a hole in the couch etc. I even found 2 empty tins of condensed milk inside the outdoor incinerator.

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#26

My daughter (who's 9) thinks she's being crafty hiding a book under her pillow to read after bedtime. I've known for about a year and let her have half an hour 'secret reading time' after she goes to bed.

Bit harder to know if she's not reading after half an hour now it's summer and she doesn't need to use a lamp, but I can tell if she's turned her lamp off in winter.

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Eagle Girl
Eagle Girl
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Used to do that as a kid. Read under covers with flashlight. Helped my night owl brain unwind. Now I have a Tablet.

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#27

My two year old dropped out Echo dot and split into two pieces. She attempted to sandwich it back together and put it back where it was but now says stuff like "alexa play mickey mouse" and then when nothing happens she says "uh oh alexa what happen?" You know damn well what happen and it's HAPPENED.

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#28

My 12(m) son went on a double "date". My husband happened to be driving through town and saw the 4 of them together. I asked him and he said they "happened to be going to the same place". The mother of the other boy had the scoop and filled me in. I let my son know that he shouldn't lie to me and it is perfectly fine for him to be going on a double date - he apparently paid for the fries. I offered to drive him and the others somewhere if they wanted to go again.

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Becca Gizmo the Squirrel
Becca Gizmo the Squirrel
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Makes more sense as male not month. I don't think 12 month olds walk around with cash for fries in his pocket.

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#29

My 22-year-old son starts work at 6:00 a.m. He left the house at 6:30 and came back thirty minutes later. I think he got fired.

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Foxxy (The Original)
Foxxy (The Original)
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4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If it was a one off then that is pretty crappy if he got fired, but if he has done it numerous times or had enough warnings for other reasons then fair enough. I have been late to work twice. Once I was 45 mins late because there was a big car accident and the traffic was going at snails pace. Another time I was late because I accidentally wrote the wrong start time in my diary, I thought I started 2 hours later than what I was actually meant to. My boss rang me to find out where I was. I got ready quick smart, didn’t have time to iron my shirt, ended up an hour late. Oops

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#30

30 Parents Reveal What Secrets Their Kids Are Keeping From Them Without Knowing They're Already Aware Of It My 6 year old son poops in the back yard every morning and blames it on the dog

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Note: this post originally had 40 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.

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