If you’ve experienced this, you’re not alone, and so many people out there have shared those same thoughts for different reasons. Read on and discover those moments when people realized, their parents were no different than themselves.
Realizing Your parents Were Just Winging it
Just like you, your parents probably had no idea what they were doing most of the time. It might be a simple fact that can only be understood after you hit a certain age, but if we’re being honest, practically nobody ever knows what they’re doing. Ever.
Basically, every kid will view their parents as the top experts, but in reality, they might just know as much as we do. This could not be a fact that you’ll want to know as a kid, but, as an adult, it’s actually kind of comical. So, go ahead and mess things up.
There’s No Such Thing as Perfect
Almost all of us have had some kind of injury as a kid, which likely resulted in breaking a bone or cutting our chin open. It’s almost like a right of passage, which means your parents definitely went through the same thing at some point. This is basically just proof that the only thing that makes you a real adult is a failed experience or two.
These epic fails can also make for some really great future stories to share and compare with at the family dinner table. Who knew that whatever was once a giant disaster could eventually create the perfect family bonding moment?
A Bit of Giving Back
Most people never saw their parents, or more specifically their dad, cry as a kid. This is probably why we viewed them as super tough and might have even forgotten that they do, in fact, have feelings. Is it possible that they were just hiding them? Of course, but seeing either one of your parents upset is always surprising.
It’s basically a sudden reminder that they do, in fact, feel things and might not be as strong as you thought they were when you were five. They always made you feel better, so now you can actually do the same and make them feel better too.
When Mom Was Cooler Than You Thought
It’s hard to imagine that your parents had a very different life before you. Although you might have always seen them as mom and dad, it’s actually very likely that they were once way cooler than you thought. It might have been hard to see past the strict rules and endless chores when you were a kid, but becoming an adult means you get to know a little bit more about your parents.
They’ll probably tell you stories of their super fun teenage years that might seriously surprise you. Their once super crazy hairstyle or color choice might be surprising.
They Might Not Make The Best Food
You probably bragged to your friends when you were a kid about how your mom was a way better cook than theirs. It’s basically a right of passage, and we’ve all thought that there was nothing better than our parents’ food. Living on your own might make you greatly appreciate a home-cooked meal, or you could start to realize that mom’s dinner isn’t actually as tasty as you remember it.
Learning how to cook yourself can be one of the harder parts of growing up, which is why being able to call home for a recipe is a great idea.
A Bit of Family Gossip
Maybe your parents haven’t actually ever done anything wrong, but it’s definitely more likely that you just weren’t around to witness those embarrassing mistakes. Either that or they simply didn’t have any reason to tell you about them. The thing about transitioning from a kid to an adult is that you can finally see when things actually go wrong.
You can either laugh about those moments or even go along with them. We all tell a few white lies here and there, and gossip is basically a part of life, so you might as well join in at some point.
When Mom Can Play Video Games
Most parents absolutely hate video games, especially when their kids tend to sit in front of their gaming screen for twelve hours straight. Of course, there are a handful of parents out there who are simply video game experts without their kids even knowing it. This person only realized that when his mom got a hold of his Nintendo controller and ended up holding the joystick as if it was a vintage Atari.
It certainly surprised this kid in the best way possible. After realizing they could play together, she ended up being way cooler than he initially thought.
Google Does Know Everything
The one thing about kids is that they ask a million questions a minute, and sometimes, parents just can’t really keep up with that. Thankfully, Google was invented in the late 90s and has practically solved this problem for every mom and dad. Although telling your kid to “google it” might sound a bit harsh, it’s actually a pretty good idea, given the context of the question, of course.
Google practically has all of the answers for everything, and sometimes, parents just can’t provide all of life’s solutions for their kids. So, on behalf of all parents- thank you, Google.
Just Another Dad Joke
There isn’t a singular dad on this planet who hasn’t dished out a dad joke or two at the Sunday dinner table or during a lengthy family road trip. The younger you are, the more of a target you are for dad and his jokes, and this is basically proof of that.
Of course, gas refinery chimneys aren’t making campfires, but we can surely see how a six-year-old would believe that at first. This kid eventually got the point and turned to their mom for any further questions about life, just to ensure he was actually getting the correct answers.
The Good Old Days
Google and its function have definitely changed as technology has started to advance, which is why some people just don’t know how to use it well. Some of us adults are tech experts; others would prefer to simply live life as if we were in prehistoric times, which is perfectly okay too.
This person suddenly realized that their father was nothing more or less than human when he typed an entire website URL into the Google search bar. That must have definitely taken forever, but we do hope he was able to find exactly what he was looking for eventually.
Mom Had to Take The Blame
There are so many reasons why parents make their kids late for school. It could be because they asked you to take the trash out, which conclusively made you miss the bus. Or maybe, they wanted you to walk the dog just as you were about to walk out the door.
Another apparent possibility is that your mom just might accidentally lock herself out of the house, which is precisely what happened here. This person had to make the long drive all the way back home just to rescue their mom, which also made them miss a very important exam.
A Bit of Money and a Few Mistakes
Kids don’t really tend to take notice of their parents’ finances growing up, and they don’t really need to. That’s mainly because the concept of spending is a bit hard to understand until you reach the age of about eight. Even then, you likely have no idea what your parents are spending their money on, other than that toy you really wanted from the store.
Once you’re an adult, you might start to make some mistakes with your savings while realizing that your parents might have done the same exact thing. Thankfully, you can surely learn from those mistakes eventually.
Homework is Hard for Parents Too
Homework and classwork have seriously gotten so much harder in the last decade, and this fact has been leaving so many parents clueless when it comes to helping their kids. Since math can basically be done with a single swipe of a cell phone, the equations have started to become more complicated than they were in the 80s.
Thankfully, one way to solve this issue is to hire a tutor, and while that works, realizing that your parents can’t help with everything is undoubtedly a big part of growing up, even if it might be hard to face the fact.
Checks and No Balances
Some parents are the simple masters of checkbooks, and others have absolutely no idea how to use them. They’re certainly outdated at this point, although some people prefer checkbooks to help keep their expenses both organized and visible. These parents obviously had quite a few costs and completely forgot to write them down correctly.
It’s not hard to imagine the frustration of endlessly attempting to make the math work, but this moment also helped their kid understand that they do make some mistakes along the way. Remembering to write things down when you’re living a busy life can be challenging.
Life Can Get Expensive
Moving out of your parents’ house is one of the most exciting parts of becoming an independent adult. The only challenging aspect is that everything in life is costly and having to completely furnish an apartment while also paying monthly expenses is hard. Almost every apartment is empty as soon as you get it, and you will eventually notice that you’ll have to pay for everything on your own.
That realization can make you understand that your parents actually went through the same thing at some point and somehow made it through; they might even give you a few pointers.
Not Everyone Listens to Good Advice
Parents might be the masters of advice, but that doesn’t mean that they actually always follow whatever they’re recommending. Money might be a sensitive topic to talk about with your parents, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t make your own inferences from a distance. As you take a step back, you might actually notice that they’re spending their money on all types of unusual things.
Maybe those super random infomercials are at the core of that spending, although who are we to judge? You could try to offer your own advice about finances, but that might not change things.
Swinging Right Out of There
This incident is another case of a big parent secret that a teenager should never have to find out. This one is funny but also a tad bit disturbing to consider if you’re around the age of sixteen. Some adults enjoy living alternative lifestyles, and this is one of them.
Although, if you find out that your parents are doing this, you probably won’t want to think about it too much, primarily to prevent any images from popping into your head. We’re not sure how this teen found out their parents are swingers, and we don’t really want to know.
Mom Can’t Get With the Times
Since fashion trends are constantly changing and seem to be updating faster than the speed of light, we’re not going to sit here and judge this mom for being unable to keep up. Thankfully, regardless of the fact that her clothing choices couldn’t be considered trendy, this person still managed to love their mother a lot.
Outfits and what we choose to wear might be a sign of the times, but it’s more like a hobby, and fashion isn’t necessarily something everyone enjoys. Although, it wouldn’t hurt to share your opinion with your unstylish parent every once in a while.
Ballroom Dancing For Social Grace
We’re going to assume that this experience happened sometime before the 1980s only because ballroom dancing isn’t exactly an activity that parents tend to choose for their kids today. Although it doesn’t seem too bad, so we would accept the activity if it suddenly became popular again.
Some kids are shy and may not be the social type, which is why fun hobbies could actually be great for them. This is likely what this person’s mom was thinking at the time unless she just genuinely wanted him to become a great ballroom dancer. Honestly, anything is possible at this point.
An apology is a Good Policy
Tantrums take up a majority of a growing kid’s life, but that doesn’t mean that all parents know how to deal with them. Some of them might send their kids to their room and keep them there for a reasonable amount of time. That may not be the best solution, but it is the easiest in comparison to neutralizing the situation by apologizing.
There are some parents that will own up to their own mistakes, although that kind of response might be far few. Parents tend to make a ton of mistakes, but this person’s mom made things right.
Dad Got Left Behind
To error is human, and one of those errors might include the subway doors closing right before you were about to step into it. To make matters even worse, your kid might have gotten into it before you did, and suddenly, the subway is on the move without you in it. That’s precisely what happened here, and it’s not hard to imagine the short burst of sheer panic that was experienced by the majority of the family that day.
We’re pretty sure that things worked out just fine in the end and that both dad and kid were eventually reunited.
One Look is all it Takes
When dads aren’t too happy about something, you don’t necessarily need to hear them speak words in order to get the message. It might take just one look and a single gesture for him to get the point across to you effectively. Sometimes it’s scary, other times it’s close to innocent; all we know is- don’t mess with dad.
This person would certainly agree since their father was quick to communicate the fact that their kid was messing up. Surely, he was quick to fix whatever mistakes were made in order to prevent any and all future father death stares.
Health in a Can
Not all moms can be gourmet chefs, but there is common knowledge when it comes to cooking healthy. For example, things that come out of a can are normally not the best for you, even if they do happen to be vegetables. There are parents that prioritize what they feed their kids, while others don’t have the time or energy to worry about it.
We think this mom was doing her best and primarily focused on the vegetable part as opposed to the fact that she was dumping a can of something into boiling water and calling it a meal.
No Point in a Private Life
This person admits that they had no personal life growing up, to the point that they would even be the center of adult gossip. Every teenager wants a small amount of privacy from their parents. It doesn’t seem like too much to ask for unless you have the kind of parents who can’t even give you a minute to yourself.
Being the subject of your parents’ hot gossip surely had to be embarrassing, while not even being able to hide things in a drawer was likely a struggle. They were probably so happy to move out when the time came.
Could’ve Been Worse
This Dad was right when he said that things could have been worse, mostly because a “could’ve been” can basically apply to everything in life. Like this person, you might find that your parents are focusing on the bright side of things, which isn’t necessarily bad unless they’re just using that to ignore the negative.
Positivity is always great, and of course, forgetting terrible details from years ago is basically a part of being human. At least this person made it to this point where they can actually talk about their childhood, whether it was actually good or simply terrible.
A Nutrition-less Childhood
These parents didn’t teach these kids much about healthy eating, which is why they struggled with their weight for a while. Nutrition isn’t exactly something that lots of people can comprehend in the first place. This is why some families struggle to live a healthy lifestyle, where family dinners are often fast food and might not be the most nutritious.
It’s great that his person was able to shed the weight on their own when they grew up, with absolutely no help from either mom or dad. Unfortunately, parents don’t know everything, even if most kids think that they do.
How to Create a Sneaky Kid
There may not be a more true statement out there; strict parents certainly create sneaky kids, and this was something this adult realized back in high school. Everyone goes through a rebellious phase, usually around those awkward teenage years when the fun is on the schedule. Some of us might have even gained the skill of being sneaky while getting away with most things, as our parents barely noticed.
Others, like this person, will barely hide their rebelliousness while forcing their parent to come to terms with it- you can probably imagine that these strict parents weren’t too happy about that.
Chores Are Actually Not So Bad
There’s simply no denying that kids and chores are worst enemies. Surely, most parents admit that getting any kid under the age of ten to bring their dishes to the sink is harder than running a marathon. Actually, those hundreds of times that mom forced you to clean your room could have a really great impact on the way you manage things today.
You might even be a cleaner person because of that, or the sense of responsibility is what makes you take out your own trash. If only someone took the time to tell you that ten years ago.
Embarrassing For a Very Good Reason
One of the most embarrassing things for a kid is when you’re having a good time with friends at a school dance or birthday party, and your parents decide to join in suddenly. Parents are simply a bummer when you’re twelve, and you might not have understood why they wanted to embarrass you in the first place.
Well, some of them admit that they knew exactly what they were doing and simply wanted to have a good time. When you think about it, it actually makes sense, and sometimes having fun has to come with a touch of unprecedented awkwardness.
Not all Superheroes Are Perfect
Let’s face it, most of us just automatically assume that our parents are superheroes and can pretty much do anything. Although this may be true, no superhero can truly be perfect in the long run. Here and there, they are going to make a few mistakes; this is a fact that can be both accepted and acknowledged in adulthood.
You might even be able to share a laugh or two about those never-ending mess-ups where disaster turns into a quality bonding moment. Parents are simply human, and just like you, there are going to be some good and bad days.
Parents Are People Too
There are so many things that come with growing up, and most of that is hand in hand with having a ton of fun. There are difficulties, but no matter what you go through, your parents are there for you in the end. It’s their job, but it’s also a position that you’ll find yourself in as you get older.
Parents need support, too, especially from their kids, and realizing that might just be the ultimate step in officially growing up. This will bring you closer to your folks, and family game night might even become five times more fun.
They’re Basically Just Like Us
All parents deserve to be placed on at least some kind of pedestal, mainly because they were somehow able to handle us during all of those awkward phases. You managed to get through it, and they miraculously did too. Once you become an adult, you might have realized that you’re not so different than them.
Just like you, they once started their first job, graduated from college, or might have rented their first apartment. The things that you experienced on your own could have been exactly the same, so go ahead and forget about the pedestal; it’s for the best.
A Good Time is for Everyone
Although there are some people out there that might not agree, the truth is that becoming a parent doesn’t mean that you’re suddenly an adult. A kid-like mentally can seriously last a lifetime, which is why some older people claim that they still feel like they’re seventeen.
There are lots of parents who are young at heart and want to have just as much fun as their toddlers and teens. This might be something that you can’t understand as a kid, but it certainly is a fun discovery as you grow up and realize that you’re feeling the same way.
When Struggling Becomes a Good Thing
There’s a saying that says something along the lines of there always being a light at the end of a tunnel. In other words, difficulties eventually end and might even bring some positivity along the way. It could be hard to see them as you’re going through the works, but you’ll come out the other end just fine. Raising kids definitely comes with a handful of difficulties that seem never to end.
The good news is that your kids might actually appreciate everything you’ve gone through when they grow up. They’ll eventually feel encouraged by the lessons you’ve taught them
They’re More Fun Than You Thought
Lots of kids think their parents are boring. This could be because those dad jokes were as funny as dad thought they would be, or maybe mom’s parties weren’t too fun. There’s no denying that becoming an adult might be less exciting than childhood sometimes. Social lives often become minimal between work and school, while Netflix and your couch are suddenly your best friends.
Reaching that point might actually make you realize that your parents were way more fun than you thought. You might have even started to laugh at those embarrassing dad jokes, whether you like it or not.
Can’t Be Right all the Time
Most kids will altogether refuse to admit that their parents were actually right about something. This is because we usually want to be right about everything up until around the age of twenty, even if that wasn’t necessarily true. Walking up to your parents as a teen one day and telling them that you’re wrong might actually confuse them; they would probably think that you’re playing some kind of funny prank.
As you grow up and pass through different steps in life, you could start to naturally notice that mom and dad really did know what they were talking about.
Just a Phone Call Away
As a kid, you probably found yourself in a situation where you wanted to leave; for example, it could have been a birthday party or a sleepover at a friend’s house. You then proceeded to call mom, and while subtly hinting that you wanted to get out of there, she might not have gotten the point.
Of course, you can’t just ask her to pick you up when you’re surrounded by friends. That’s why it’s wise to have some kind of code word, or maybe if she’s getting a phone call in the first place, she should get the point.
When the Best isn’t Good Enough
There actually might not be a more accurate statement out there on the internet that relates to growing up. It’s more like most parents try their best, not necessarily all, but even those who are doing a pretty great job will make a few mistakes here and there.
Regardless of the experience, there will always be a couple of moments that we wish were different than they were. The good thing about becoming an adult is getting to see things from a new perspective, and you might even realize that your parents just couldn’t be entirely perfect; that’s basically impossible.
It’s in Your Hands
There are lots of ways to handle bad grades as a parent and while it’s human nature to get a little upset, not caring is also another possible approach. There are so many of us out there who wish that our parents didn’t care when they got a lousy grade growing up since most people had to actually face the consequences.
From getting the car keys taken away to being grounded for what truly felt like forever, it was likely that there was always some kind of punishment brewing; this mom left the future in the hands of her kid.