“And Then Everyone Clapped!”: 30 Cringey Times Parents Got Called Out For Fake Stories (New Pics)
Interview With AuthorIt’s completely natural for parents to feel proud of their children. Their achievements, big or small, can feel like the most important thing in the world. And it makes sense that they’d want to share those moments with others to show how much joy their kids bring them.
It’s wholesome—most of the time. But some parents take it too far, turning it into a competition to prove whose child is the most special. In their eagerness, they exaggerate their kids’ abilities—or even straight-up lie. And that’s how they end up featured on the subreddit r/wokekids, where people don’t buy the stories and aren’t shy about calling them out.
Scroll down for a collection of their latest posts, and let us know—do you think these incidents are fake or could some of them be real?
This post may include affiliate links.
Just Thought This Would Fit Here
Ok Rebecca
I love the level of petty it requires to edit her Wikipedia page over it. 😆
Found In A Group For Parents Of Gifted Kids. There’s Lots Of Eye Roll Comments But I Think This One Is The Best I’ve Seen
At 8 months all I could say was “This is indeed a disturbing universe."😵💫
r/wokekids first appeared on the internet in 2017, and over the past 8 years, it has grown into a community of 272K followers, becoming one of the largest of its kind on the platform. Its members take pleasure in exposing people who make up false claims about their (sometimes non-existent) children’s accomplishments. However, the creator of the subreddit, u/_CodyB/, isn’t too pleased with what it has turned into.
I Want To Believe That's A Real Baby
Smart Kid
A World In Which Your Infant's Majority Social Interaction Is Via Youtube
I can sorta believe this one. Kids do parrot what they hear. Although - then I feel really bad for the kid.
“I started the sub as a meme, and it really took off for reasons outside of my control,” u/_CodyB/ told Bored Panda. “I’m extremely hands-off with it, and I actually kind of feel like the sub has gone to the dogs. Honestly, I’m thinking about shutting it down.”
I Hope This Is Real
She Totally Wrote This Herself! Don't Question It You Sexists Pigs!
I agree with the sentiment though, except I like to cut you up before I eat you. Indigestion, you know... 🦖
Absolutely Inspiring 🙅♂️
I hope just putting him down to sleep, not to eternal sleep
The idea of retiring a subreddit with so many followers, especially when it’s doing quite well, might seem surprising. However, u/_CodyB/ believes it’s no longer as sincere as it once was—which is undeniably ironic, given that the subreddit is best known for mocking people who post online purely for attention.
Maybe If She Had Gone Vegan, Her Mother Would Still Be With Her
Happy Birthday Logan, Just Let Mom And Dad Overshadow It With Our Politics :)
Yes, This Totally Happened
“It was funny when I started because Reddit is filled with so much karma baiting,” the creator of r/wokekids said. The term refers to posting content just to gain upvotes and boost a user’s reputation, known as “karma.” “But then eventually the sub meant to satirize karma baiting became the same thing.”
Hey Son… I Got The Perfect Halloween Costume For Ya…
And Then Everyone Clapped !
This Is A Real Tweet Made By A Real U.S. Representative
“Once upon a time, you could look to Reddit for proper discourse about pretty much any subject—mind you, I still think Reddit is probably the best mainstream social media outlet for that,” u/_CodyB/ added. “But it’s become obviously worse with the rise of bots. I am a firm believer in the ‘dead internet theory,’ and I think it’s just a matter of time before the internet becomes useless for most things.”
And Then Everybody Started Clapping
A Future Proletarian Comrade
Ruthkanda
Another reason the subreddit has drifted from its original purpose is tied to its name. When u/_CodyB/ first called it “woke kids,” the term “woke” had a different meaning—more about being aware of social issues rather than being used sarcastically or as a pejorative.
“It’s difficult for me to properly define,” they explained. “I meant it to be something like recounting a conversation where the protagonist (in their mind) said something perfectly mindful and in line with the beliefs of their intended audience.”
It’s Mushier Than That
All Because Of Youtube
Your kids a f*****g idiot if that's where he is learning everything
Save Neil Young
However, u/_CodyB/ doesn’t think the shifting definition of the term “woke” has significantly impacted what gets posted on the subreddit. The real issue, they feel, is that it’s no longer a space where people meaningfully engage with one another. “It’s still about kids saying absurdly profound things. Except it's no longer genuine.”
Woke, Cringe, Or “That Happened”?
Because the kid is 4. Regardless of beliefs and parenting styles, I think we can all agree that the finer points of adult level romantic relationships aren't age appropriate in this case. If this post were true, it represents another case of gross indoctrination; the kind we're seeing an alarming rise in on all fronts. But mostly in the chronically online. Kinda gross.
It is gross and it’s always been prevalent in our society. Think about all the times people comment that a baby is good looking and all the boys or girls will want him or her. And if it’s a boy they get him a shirt that says “Mothers Lock Up Your Daughters” and tell fathers that their little girl is cute and he's going to have to deal with boyfriends in the future! I could go on and on, but it’s all so bizarre.
Load More Replies...I can imagine the child saying something like 'When I grow up, I'll marry Jake and I'll also marry Sophia.'
Obviously this is false but why, pray tell, would this be gross?
Load More Replies...I wanted to marry my entire class in second grade. I think we all did. My family moved away, so I'm not sure it worked out, but this one I can believe (except that "his words" bit, because obviously a 4-year-old is going to refer to a polycule as a hive).
The verbal abilities between the average 6-year old and the average 10-year old are so vastly different, they are not grouped together like that. If your 4-year old's verbal abilities are beyond his age, they would be classified as either at the same level as a 5-7 year old or an 8-10 year old. No such thing as "speaking like a 6-10 year old".
The verbal abilities between the average 6-year old and the average 10-year old are so vastly different, they are not grouped together like that. If your 4-year old's verbal abilities are beyond his age, they would be classified as either at the same level as a 5-7 year old, or an 8-10 year old. No such thing as "speaking like a 6-10 year old".
isn't necessarily fake. i've had 5-8yo kids at summer camp say that they don't mind their girl/boyfriend left them because they've got two others anyway. and it's not like they see it as more than best friend/puppy love for the most case
Might As Well Be Secretary Of Defense
I'll take exploiting toddlers for 100 Alex (agree with the statement, not with the post).
Supposedly A Year 3 Said This (7-8)
Ballsy (Or ‘Flatsy’ Since Kiddo Is A Flat-Earther) Statement
Sure Jan
This Is Probably The Opposite Of Woke But Equally As Dumb
From A Dinosaur Group About The New Jurassic World:
Praise Jesus, Etc
It Even Ends With And Then Everyone Clapped
I am incredibly proud of my little Tarquin (4,m) on completing his dissertation on the rise of narcissism and exploitation of children on social media by competitive parents. 1500 words.
I think I'm gonna start making posts like this except I'm going to attribute all this stuff to my cats.
For the love of god don't tell her about crocs
Load More Replies...I realize a lot of these are complete bunk, but children observe well and can be very smart. I've seen many through my work in Girl Scouts. You have to pay attention, which most people don't. Too many people ignore kids or look down on them. I can see several of these being plausible.
I'm proud of my sperm. So far they've all been smart enough not to get anyone pregnant.
I don't know if it's usual, but I find it disgusting that people make up lies for social media "clout".
They really are not. This is basically a list of contenders for the Didn't Happen Of The Year Awards
Load More Replies...I am incredibly proud of my little Tarquin (4,m) on completing his dissertation on the rise of narcissism and exploitation of children on social media by competitive parents. 1500 words.
I think I'm gonna start making posts like this except I'm going to attribute all this stuff to my cats.
For the love of god don't tell her about crocs
Load More Replies...I realize a lot of these are complete bunk, but children observe well and can be very smart. I've seen many through my work in Girl Scouts. You have to pay attention, which most people don't. Too many people ignore kids or look down on them. I can see several of these being plausible.
I'm proud of my sperm. So far they've all been smart enough not to get anyone pregnant.
I don't know if it's usual, but I find it disgusting that people make up lies for social media "clout".
They really are not. This is basically a list of contenders for the Didn't Happen Of The Year Awards
Load More Replies...