The Most Hurtful Things People's Parents Ever Said To Them
Reddit user Enockito asked: 'What's the most hurtful thing your parent ever said to you?'
All judgment aside, we're all meant to do some things and not meant to do other things, and there are simply some people in the world who would make better parents than others.
Those who decide to parent while knowing that they didn't want kids often wind up saying and doing things that do far more harm than good to their children.
Redditor Enockito asked:
"What's the most hurtful thing your parent ever said to you?"
Outrageous Beauty Standards
"I hate that something so ugly came out of me."
"For context, my mom is Korean, slim, and petite. She had two daughters with a Black American man, and we were never skinny, pretty, or smart enough for her. And she told us all the time."
- black_frost
A Ruined Life
"They gave me the advice to never have children and said that all of us (us six kids) ruined my mother's life."
- bbgmedusa
"First kid, shame on you... But the next five?"
- all4goats
Cancerous Entitlement
"I can't believe you expect so much from us just because you got diagnosed with cancer."
"My mother while kicking me out of her house in the middle of chemotherapy at 25 years of age when I couldn't afford to pay rent on unemployment."
- sKiLoVa4LiFeZzZ
The Projected Regret
"My mom stopped by for lunch while I was home with my four-year-old daughter."
"I was extremely pregnant with my future son, and she made a big production out of bringing fast food."
"While popping fries in her mouth, she asked me, 'Do you ever regret having children?'"
"I looked at my daughter lining up dinosaurs along the length of our couch and then said, 'No. But I think YOU do.'"
"'Huh,' she said while she popped more fries in her mouth. 'You're right about that.'"
"It's a core memory for me and something that comes flooding back any time I wonder if I was wrong for going no-contact with her."
- TheBookishAndTheBard
Failed Returns
"I'll be back to pick you up in three days."
"(She did not come back.)"
- ParrotOX-CDXX
"My kid's bio-mom did this when he was eight. She lost custody now but f**king ch**st, it still hurts when she doesn’t show up for her appointed weekends because you’re reminded of this s**t."
"Some people don’t deserve to be parents."
- violent-amethyst
An Uncanny Resemblance
"Last week, 'I've always hated you because you look so much like your dad.'"
"I told her that was her fault because why didn't she boink someone else?"
- Comfortable-Ad7591
Gaslighting Central
"I was having an argument with my mom and when I told her about some stuff I remembered that wasn't exactly nice as a kid, she said, 'Well, I don't remember that happening, so it must've never happened, and I choose to live in the reality where it didn't, but you can do whatever you want,' and walked away."
"Feelings invalidated? Oh, big time."
- Juda2112
Sleep Comes First
​"I broke my arm on a school ski trip, causing the whole trip to come back late."
"Dad picked me up at school and told me he wasn't taking me to the hospital. Maybe Mom will take me tomorrow."
"We got home, and both parents refused to take me as they needed their sleep."
"They put sleep ahead of me."
"The look the orthopedic doctor gave my mother the next afternoon upon hearing this confirmed it was as f**ked up as I thought."
"This was the 1980s, so child services weren't involved."
- stevea1210
No Exchange Adoptions
"When I was 16, my adopted dad told me, 'I wish we had adopted a girl.'"
"It's been over three decades, and now the man can't even remember my name as dementia takes his mind, and I still resent him for that."
"As I noted when this came up elsewhere, there is a silver lining to be had from it. As a parent myself I am acutely aware of just how damaging words can be and even when my kids absolutely were p**sing me off I never said anything like this to them. I tried to always tie chastisement to behavior and not them as a person."
- slash_networkboy
The Favorite Grandchild
"I love your sister's kids more than yours."
"She justified it by calling my husband and me better parents, my husband's parents as better grandparents, and saying that my nephews 'needed it more,' which might all be true, but it still stung."
- Bullwinkle932000
Just Joking
"The one that rattles in my head the most (either not repressed or just recent enough to remember better) was from my dad, after I had lost a bit of weight, said, 'Wow, you actually look like a human being.'"
"My dad speaks in sarcasm so who knows how rude he was meant to be but, man... that one burrowed deep."
- VOODOO271
"My dad operated this way all the time. Everything was always just a joke. And then one day I realized that they might have all been jokes, but they all hurt."
"And this was so much worse to realize, because not only would my dad laugh, but he would get upset about it if you got upset at him for what he said. 'You know I’m only joking!' And then he would act all hurt and then I would have the apologize to him for making him feel bad."
"It wasn’t intentional, but it was 100% abuse. The way he was untouchable like a 'it’s just a prank, bro!' TikToker and how he would use the guilt to manipulate was just awful."
- zerobeat
The Mother Traitor
"My mom supported my ex-wife in the divorce and then told my now current wife, 'I'll help you get all the money out of him when you want to leave him.'"
"She also told me flat out that if I demand my kids' car seats from her, she will never babysit them again. The car seats... that she put into a storage unit."
- Icy_Penguin2786
Superficial Love
"It's weird, but out of the dozens of hurtful things, this one always sticks out to me."
"I wrote a personal essay in my senior year of high school. Real earnest one about myself, my values, and my hopes for the future. The teacher loved it and said it was the best thing I'd ever written (and I always struggled with English class and essay writing)."
"I took it home. Dad reads it, furrows his brow, and says, 'This doesn't sound like you at all.' Then he makes me rewrite it, scrubbing out all the parts he doesn't like and putting in things that aren't true about me."
"I always wonder if it would be easier if he openly didn't care about me. Straight up, 'Wish you were never born' kinda deal. Because a lifetime of someone who 'loves you' in superficial ways demonstrating open contempt, disgust, and disapproval for who you are has been painful."
- LotusFlare
This is a great reminder that people should actively think about who they are and what they want before they commit to having children. There are people in the world who are really not meant to have kids, but when they do, it sometimes announces itself in awful, traumatizing ways.
People Share The Worst 'Parent Logic' They've Ever Witnessed
You may want to rethink that...
I have no idea how to be a parent. I also will never have to know as I have no plans to raise delinquents... sorry, "children" as a life goal. One of the reasons why it's never been on my bucket list is because I believe it to be a calling not designed for everyone. Now, just because it's not in my future doesn't mean I can't give an opinion or five about how to not do it wrong. There are just some obvious "logics" we can all attest to.
Redditor u/sham-da-man wanted to hear about all the times parents were just wrong by asking...What is the worst parent logic you know?
A lot of parenting is in the moment action. You have to think on the fly, just be sure you're not flying off the rails. There are a few ideas that really need to be thought out before implemented. Adults really should dig into their own pasts more and review what did and didn't work for their growth.
It's you not them...
"My child is incapable of doing wrong, therefore if you have a problem with how my child is behaving, it's your fault."
X_PRSN
"Sounds like my ex gf's mom. Her son could bomb a building and she'd still find a way to defend him. Seriously dude beats his wife and she just tells her daughter-in-law to 'Just don't do things that piss him off.'"
LightningEdge756
1 4 All...
"If 1 kid did something bad everyone is at fault."
WatsonzKamikaze
"One of the many reasons I hated the Army. If there's one thing I learned there, it's that work ethic, obedience, and integrity meant nothing, so there was no point to trying. Got out as soon as I could. Joining was the worst decision of my life."
Don't Cry
dean winters crying GIF by MayhemGiphy"The way to calm a crying child is to shout in their face and threaten to take things they love away. That'll work."
The_Cybermonkey
Cycles...
"'My parents beat the hell out of me and I turned out okay, so it's alright if I beat the hell out of my kids.' You didn't turn out okay."
bigtimejohnny
"This is how cycles of abuse, drug addictions and other problems start. No matter what you do abuse is abuse."
Tactical_Gam3r
See now much of that feels like a whole lot of mess. Reverse psychology should always have a purpose. You don't just play with younger brains merely because you think you can. That can cause a lifetime of damage, for everyone involved. My mother use to wash my mouth out with soap if I used foul language, now... I curse like a trucker and much of what I learned was angled at her. She could have found a few other options. The next group of people will understand.
Staying Single...
"Focus on your studies, no talking to people/girls until you graduate from college! (5 seconds after graduating college) we want grandkids, how come you don't have a gf/wife?"
StangAce
"Oh my gosh, I can totally relate."
"My parents didn't allow any of us to date while growing up, then wonder when as adults we couldn't get boyfriends/girlfriends".
"They found out I was trying to date a girl when I was in middle school and, hoo, boy, got a whipping and was told I couldn't date until I was 16. When I turned 16, I was told I could only date daughters of people they knew. (Small community, and really wasn't interested in any of the "approved list.)"
"Messed me up so bad that I've been single my whole life, and when I do meet someone I'm interested in, I'm so freaking awkward I blow any chance I may have had. Being on Reddit and looking back I realize I had "nice guy" syndrome. Never went to stalking people but made me realize, oh, crap, I was that guy."
ozarkbozark
Anything?
"'You can grow up to be anything you want!' -I want to be a musician 'Don't you want a real career? Why not a doctor or lawyer? Accountant maybe?' -but.... ok."
RickyGrntor
"I had the same thing happen when I said I wanted to be an author. It's even worse when I realised that my Mum has published 2 books before."
toitnups1111
Back when...
good for you yes GIF by Brimstone (The Grindhouse Radio, Hound Comics)Giphy"'I didn't have computers as a child and played outside as a child. That means you gotta do that too.' Yeah well medieval people threw their poop in the street, maybe we should do that too."
Granulous
Forced Educations
"Grew up with Indian parents and met a lot of Indian community. The below didn't necessarily happen to me, but I've seen it happen to friends. Not giving your kids privacy and hovering over them a lot. You can't expect them to be well adjusted adults if you direct their entire lives. Allow them to make mistakes (within reason) and help them learn. Don't beat them up over mistakes."
"Stop taking elementary and middle school grades so seriously. Let them learn at their own pace, support where needed, and don't make education a punishment. Don't force them to do more 'homework' after school and school homework is over unless they come to you for help with a subject. Feed their natural curiosities - don't force them to sit down and memorize multiplication tables under threat of punishment. (Looking at you dad 😠)."
ThatIndianBoi
Too Loud
Scream GIF by OriginalsGiphy"I'm gonna scream at my child to do better at school - that's gonna teach him/her to see education as valuable."
FatalK00kie
Burn through it...
"The is the ultimate answer. My mom thinks she can just burn through my dad's life savings (he passed) because she wants to live a life of Luxury she didn’t earn. She has nowhere close to enough to live how she is for the next 10 years. Her solution is for her 'kids' to take care of her when she needs help. Oh, and she also cancelled her life insurance policy the week after he died as well."
doyouhaveanypaper
Memories
"I don't remember it, that means it never happened and you should just let it go."
TheGemli
"My mom does this to me all the time, to this day, and I’m 28. She’ll say she doesn’t remember and I’m making it up if I don’t give her an exact example. But then she’ll ask me to remind her of things or he’ll her recall something because I have 'such a good memory.'"
WitchyWeebOfMidwest
Conversations
“'You say anything that means you’re talking back' talking with parents isn’t an easy thing to do, and they wonder why we don’t conversate."
TruelyAlienic
'living under my roof'
"To be honest there is some truth to the 'living under my roof' quote. I mean there are certain rules in a family that apply to every member, since a family is a small community. It gives structure and makes life easier for everyone. When I was still living with my parents there were rules which I didn't like as a teen, I doubted and at times challenged them."
"When no amount of conversation would convince me, my parents would say that this was their house and their rules. As long as I was living there I needed to follow them. To me that's fair enough. As long as those rules are within reason. Having my own family now, we have our own rules."
allpasswordstaken_
No Girl
No Way Beer GIF by BuschGiphy"My mom thinks she can do, or say whatever she wants to me, my wife, and future children. Because she gave birth to me and I need to structure my life around her needs, edit myself to accommodate her bad behavior. As well as apologize to myself for misunderstanding her devotion and hard work at all times. And always agree with her."
In or Out?
"'Why don't you go out more often. You have no friends and you absolutely social skills etc. Be a normal child, not a shut in freak.'"
"me goes out, socializes with people..."
"'You don't study anything. Instead of engaging in your moronic discussions and philosophy crapping with your friends, do something productive."
CrnaZharulja
No "Good" Deed
"Kids should be quiet and just follow parent commands with no questioning to be a 'good kid.' Blind loyalty is garbage and teaches bad lessons... I'd hope to have kids who to some degree disagree with me and argue their side of an issue so we can come to terms we agree on."
big_nothing_burger
I need to talk...
the office therapy GIFGiphy"That sh*t my mom pulls where if I mention I want therapy but we don't have enough money. She says 'It's not about money, it's about getting you there,' but then, when I mention therapy WITHOUT mentioning money, she's all 'Well, how do you expect to pay for that?' I think she just wants me to be f**ked up because she has religious trauma that f**ked her up as a child."
WitchWhoLovesTacos
I had to stay in
"One time I was entering high school and finally making friends for the first time. I was going out every night and having so much fun. The weather had just begun to turn nice and the days longer (spring) and I was about to head out again for the night. My mom stopped me and told me I couldn't go."
"I demanded an explanation. 'You've been out every night, you have to stay home tonight.' I had to stay in. No reason except I'd been out too much. Did she even talk to me or spend time with me? LOL no."
lazarus870
Dear parents, think before you speak. "Oh look, logic I can share!" Also think about what worked for you as a child. Contradiction only breeds more chaos. That is the easiest lesson of all.
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