Ever met someone who makes you wonder if they grew up in a cave? Whether they display a lack of manners, an extreme sense of entitlement, or an acute refusal to be held accountable for their actions, it’s obvious they have zero home training.
Somebody asked the internet, “What’s a sign someone definitely wasn’t raised right?” and netizens were only too happy to share their opinions. Here’s our collection of some of the biggest red flags that scream poor parenting.
More info: Reddit
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Poor treatment of animals or using pets as accessories and not family members.
Not treating customer service staff well.
Its about showing respect for someone who is working to earn a living, as most of us do. However, if someone is rude to me and disrespects me, they will not be rewarded for it. 0
When they’re unable to admit they are wrong or made a mistake.
One of the best things my father taught me was that the man who never made a mistake never learned anything. It's about integrity. I kept clients in a highly competitive business because they knew they could trust me. 0
Raising kids is basically a long-term social experiment where the stakes are your sanity and their future therapist bills. Do it right, and you get a responsible, kind adult. Do it wrong, and you could end up with a full-grown menace who thinks shopping cart etiquette is optional. So, what makes the difference? In short, parenting styles.
We all know that one kid who never had to lift a finger in their life because their parents were always hovering like an overprotective drone. Helicopter parenting means shielding kids from every possible failure, scraped knee, and slightly critical teacher comment. The result? Adults who panic when their Wi-Fi drops out for five minutes.
Making fun of someone for something they can’t control.
This, and it includes where you were born, what school you attended, what clothes your parents could afford, etc.
People who use their phone on speaker in public, or watch videos without headphones/earbuds.
Also people who don't wash their hands after using the bathroom. WTAF.
And the ones who listen to videos without earbuds don’t care about what kind of content they’re broadcasting. I was in a doctor’s office not too long ago, and this old a*****e was watching videos about erectile dysfunction, and I mean videos that were pretty graphic. Apparently broadcasting about his limp d**k issue didn’t embarrass him one bit. When asked if he could use earbuds or lower the volume, he rudely refused. You know, typical angry inch behavior.
On the other side of the spectrum, we have free-range parenting. These parents believe in ‘natural consequences.’ This sounds grand until little Timmy finds out that jumping off the garage roof is a terrible idea—the hard way. While independence is great and all, kids probably shouldn’t have the same level of supervision as a houseplant.
Then there are the parents who believe that their child is an infallible little deity, no matter how many tantrums, stolen lunches, or questionable “pranks” they pull. These are the parents who storm into school demanding to know why their ‘sweet baby’ got detention for setting a trash can on fire. Spoiler alert: this is how you get adults who refuse to accept consequences.
Zero civic-mindedness. It costs 0$ to throw your litter in the bin, refrain from parking in disabled bays, return your cart after use, stand and wait in line and the list goes on. If you can't even teach your kid which side of an escalator to stand on, you probably didn't teach your kid much else.
Someone who won’t even listen to someone who has a different opinion, just immediately yells and says they’re wrong and not even try to see it from a different perspective. Usually someone who lacks empathy as well.
They're unaware of people in their immediate vicinity. A variation on spatial awareness or situational awareness as it relates to spaces where people gather.
Permissive parents take the ‘cool mom’ thing a little too far. Instead of enforcing rules, they believe in ‘letting their kids make their own choices.’ Seems progressive, right? Until you realize those choices include unlimited screen time, skipping homework, and eating nothing but Sour Patch Kids. Sure, a kid should have freedom, but maybe they shouldn’t be negotiating bedtime terms like a corporate lawyer.
Strict (or authoritarian) parents, on the other hand, mean well, but raising a kid under a military dictatorship doesn’t always lead to stellar results. These parents enforce rules with the iron fist of a 16th-century monarch. Sure, their kids might have perfect grades and impeccable manners, but come adulthood? They’re either rebellious chaos engines or incapable of making a single decision without their parents’ say so.
They expect never to be uncomfortable. Discomfort of any kind is a frightening or foreign concept to them.
That's possibly a sign of abuse as a child, or witnessing dv. They possibly grew up with parents that escalated fights, so any sort of negativity brings back bad memories. Or they grew up in a toxic positivity household and were never allowed to learn how to deal with negative emotions. Sad either way if it's one of those.
They don’t realize what’s normal in a relationship, because they assume the relationship their parents had was normal.
Zero respect for others' time.
And what's worse is when they can't be bothered to let you know they're running late and then when they do finally turn up they think their tardiness is one big joke.
Of course, there’s also the case where parenting styles clash and kids get inconsistent messages, which can lead to confusion about how to behave. That being said, different parenting styles can also complement each other, so it’s worth parents exploring and discussing each other’s styles and finding common ground for the sake of everyone’s sanity.
Parenting isn’t just about keeping tiny humans alive—it’s about making sure they don’t turn into full-grown nightmares. Every style has its ups and downs, but one thing’s for sure: kids need guidance, discipline, and, yes, a little bit of independence. Otherwise, we end up with adults who microwave foil, cut in line at the grocery store, and think ‘customer service’ means ‘verbal punching bag.’
When the happiness of the person is making fun of others.
If the only way someone can feel good about themself is to tear everyone else down around them, and takes particular pleasure in doing it, then they really don’t have much good in them in the first place. Oh, and they can ALWAYS dish it out but not take it when it’s thrown right back at them. Biggest snowflakes ever.
No manners.
The examples on this list are just some of the downsides of poor parenting, but we’re sure there are plenty more. What kinds of bad behavior have you come across that made you think someone must have been raised in all the wrong ways?
We’d say netizens really delivered when it came to answering OP’s question. Which do you think are the worst results of a questionable upbringing? Upvote your favorites and don’t forget to leave a comment if you can relate!
People who feel the need to comment on others appearance.
Talk and act with no respect or consideration for other people.
This is a reason I don't about people talk within earshot of them. Cause you never know how they'll feel.
Never take any accountability for their actions.
Or even worse IMO, scapegoating an innocent to avoid accountability for their own actions.
They lack empathy and kindness.
Narcissism. This is learned behavior from a parent that had a personality disorder.
Or a personality disorder of their own that had nothing to do with the parents.
More likely, actually. Narcissism tends to be something one is born with. Otherwise it’s just learned behaviour, and that can be unlearned. Not easily, but it’s possible. Narcissistic disorder is called that because it’s a disorder. Which one is born with.
Load More Replies...This is not true. Narcissism can develop from a mix of genetics, upbringing, and life experiences, but it’s not as simple as saying it’s inherited or learned. Someone can grow up with narcissistic parents and not turn out that way themselves, just as someone without narcissistic parents might still develop those traits over time. It’s complicated—like a lot of things in life, it’s shaped by a combination of factors, not just one thing.
No, it's not. But it sounds like the OP may have some issues with their parents.
My mother is a narcissist. I've learned from her how not to treat people.
They never tell the truth, gaslight you, use everyone one as an object, no respect of boundaries, think of women as objects for there personal pleasure, maid, chef etc. blame you for everything.
This also goes for women who think of men as subservient to them. God created us with equal value and dignity which doesn’t change based on the roles he created us to play in His universe. I’ve never understood how someone can look at another person and think of them as less-than.
Entitlement.
Nothing wrong with entitlement. We are all entitled to certain things that are our fair share. What becomes a problem is when someone is OVERLY entitled. That means they want more than their fair entitlement. We are all entitled to respect and human dignity. We are all entitled to walk down the street minding our own business. If you are manspreading, or talking too loudly or feeling that you deserve more respect than someone else that's not "entitled". That's OVERLY entitled.
Stealing. I was friend with a girl at 19-20. She was an only child, her parents had both good wages and provided all she needed. She would steal just because she had the opportunity to do so: a bike left with its keys on it (when we left a party), or an iPhone that a drunk person lost. I was so mad at her. Why do you need to steal that instead of just be good to these strangers?? Ffs.
Not necessarily how you were raised. My sister will keep a jumper someone has left on a bus or basketball court (nothing more than 'lost property') but I was raised the same and would never do it. My mum and I have both told her off for it and remind her how sad she is when she has lost something like that but she still thinks it's fine.
Won’t put their shopping cart in the return.
If someone is returning the girl with the cart above, can I keep her?
They neither have any boundaries nor will they respect anyone else's.
Most likely, if they weren’t raised in sheer entitlement, they experienced child abuse. As such, their boundaries were not respected at all or respected inconsistently, so they learned never to have boundaries or have loose boundaries that authority figures could break anytime.
They think you can just eat all the food in the cupboard without replacing it themselves. god d**n rich pieces of s**t thinking the food comes from the sky.
Or the opposite, they were raised poor and think everyone owes them a living. I was raised lower middle class. We lived paycheck to paycheck but could still afford food, rent and bills. We were raised to value money and to live with-in our means. I have met so many low wage workers or singles Mother's who constantly cry poor and think the world owes them a living. I am a low wage worker but I budget my money and put some aside for emergencies. I had a neighbor steal the gift cards I received for Christmas and when caught tell me I did not need them because I worked and she was on welfare with a kid. She was serious.
Not holding open a door for the person right behind you.
Sometimes, you gotta just say "screw it" and let others open the door for themselves, because if there's several people going in or out... you could be there all day holding the door for folks.
They're anxious that you'll abandon them, or will suddenly hate them one day without explanation.
My partner has abandonment issues. It's heartbreaking, and not at all their fault.
Word. Do not raise your voice at me, not if you’re claiming to be a goddamned adult. Once is enough, I can’t take them seriously after that. If you can’t use your words to communicate, don’t waste my fυcking time.
Yeah, lots of these have nothing to do with 'upbringing'. They have personality disorders.
Last week I found a new evil - people who facetime in crowded tourist souks/medinas. Like, we're already fighting off the locals - can you gtfo of the way?!?!
I think we live in much different time growing up in the 80's we were feral but still had manners and respect for people in general. we didnt have time outs our parents didnt count to three we got punished once that all we needed to not let it happen again
Word. Do not raise your voice at me, not if you’re claiming to be a goddamned adult. Once is enough, I can’t take them seriously after that. If you can’t use your words to communicate, don’t waste my fυcking time.
Yeah, lots of these have nothing to do with 'upbringing'. They have personality disorders.
Last week I found a new evil - people who facetime in crowded tourist souks/medinas. Like, we're already fighting off the locals - can you gtfo of the way?!?!
I think we live in much different time growing up in the 80's we were feral but still had manners and respect for people in general. we didnt have time outs our parents didnt count to three we got punished once that all we needed to not let it happen again