I'm always stunned by bad parenting.

And I see it far too often.

People need a license to drive.

A license to fish.

But having kids?

Let anybody do it. Sure.

So many kids deserve better.


Redditor odeus120 wanted to hear about the signs that make us see how some people should be raising their kids better.

They asked:

"What screams trashy parents?"

Having waited tables, it's all a red flag. The list is too ling.

Oh Mother

Mean Girls Movie GIF by filmeditorGiphy

"Mothers who see their daughter as competition."

Salt-Direction4885

"I see you've met my mom."

MYHAUNTEDPOCKET

On the Socials

"Social media influencers whose entire content is their children. People who publicly punish their kids online, parents who give out way too many details about their children giving them lack of privacy. Child exploitation at its finest."

Rooster-Wild

"There’s a lady on TikTok who posts constant videos of her daughter naked in the bath. Someone else called her out on it and how it’s only harming her daughter so what does she do? Turn off all comments so people will stop harassing her about taking down those videos. And keeps on posting for the pedos."

yorkiewho

The Trashers

"Kids running around a store trashing the place and not a parent in sight."

makeski25

"Many years ago when I worked at WalMart, parents would routinely 'drop off' their kids in the toy department and then just walk through the store, or, worse, go across the street to eat out or shop. So it wasn't unusual to see numerous unsupervised kids just wrecking the toy and sporting goods department."

"I once fussed at a manager to do something about a pair of kids who had put together a bunch of pool noodles and were running down aisle after aisle, just clearing the shelves and knocking stuff to the floor. Manager pulls the kids aside, parents show up, yell at the kids, and the manager comes to me and goes: 'well, I hope you feel better, you made me ruin that kid's night.'"

Blametheorangejuice

It's just a game...

"Cussing out the officials at a little league game. Telling your child to punch another player they tripped over."

SnooChipmunks126

"I coached t-ball, the kids were pre-k to 2nd grade. I had a mother inches from my face screaming at me because I asked her child to sit down for an inning... Because he was hitting kids in the head (with a helmet on) with a bat. It was one of the wildest things I had happen to me. Not the last though."

BitofaCrochetHooker

Any Pepsi?

Baby Drinking GIF by reactionseditorGiphy

"When I waited tables in college, I saw a mother fill her young toddler’s bottle with Coca-cola. I thought it was just horrible."

lobsters_love_butter

This is a mess. At least it wasn't a Jack and coke.

Blame

Yup Thats Right GIF by Katelyn TarverGiphy

"When their kids could literally set the world on fire and they'll blame anyone else to avoid responsibility."

Difficult_Shine3675

"My sister in law does this. Her kid could set someone on fire and she'd go 'well it's not HIS fault she has on such flammable clothes!'"

HavingALittleFit

Destruction

"Kids destroying other people's stuff/property and the parents are just standing there and laughing like it's a form of amusement. Once went into an older movie store and there was a child bashing the glass with his ball and throwing the movies all over the floors. The mother (presumedly) let her child continue to do that despite others' protests including the manager's. I don't fault the child, doesn't know any better. The mother should've been asked to leave the store with her son."

InfiniteWords117

Stop Yelling

"There is a kid (maybe 8-10 years old) on the other side of my street right now yelling slurs and telling everyone who walks by to go f**k themselves while their parent sits on the porch smoking weed and laughing. This is a regular occurrence. I'm fairly certain the kid has a mental disorder but the fact that the parent seems to be encouraging the behavior is pretty trashy."

SternCoats

The Stench

"Kids that smell like smoke because their parents smoke indoors. It was my parents. Everybody hated when we came over because everything we'd touch would smell like cigarettes as well. Couldn't convince my parents to smoke outside of the home because 'it's their house and they'll do as they please.'"

bumblingbirdy

Control

Frustrated Skip Bayless GIFGiphy

"Parents emotionally blackmailing their kids. Using guilt and obligation to control their children."

SuvenPan

We know that raising a family is hard, but these folks need to do better for their kids.

Do you have similar experiences to share? Let us know in the comments below.