This week, Reddit user u/GarlicCookies posed the question, "What are some truths some parents refuse to accept?"
And there were so many great responses! Here are some of the top-voted answers:
1. "That their children are dickheads. 'Oh no, my James would never do something like that.' Well he did, and he's a prick."
"Worked at a summer camp, and absolutely can confirm this. I don’t care that you think little Timmy is an angel. He shoved another kid off the playground, and he’s a little shit."
2. "Spoiling your kid too much can leave them really unprepared for the real world."
"They can end up really useless or a complete asshole who genuinely thinks the world revolves around them. At some point, you need to teach them they aren't king/queen of the world, and they need to fend for themselves."
3. "That your children may turn out completely different to you — different interests, hobbies, ideologies, and religions."
"Don’t get pissy at your kid because he likes reading instead of football."
4. "That sometimes their kids have valid opinions. Instead of interrupting them and pulling the 'because I said so' and 'that's just how it is' cards, they could listen to their child and make them feel heard instead of suppressed."
6. "Your oldest child is not your younger children's parent."
"I was a 12-year-old raising a baby. My brother is fantastic, and I love him to pieces, but I resented him for a long time because I didn’t actually get to have a childhood."
7. "That you don’t get to relive your life through them."
8. "Apologizing won’t kill you. It’s better to be respected than feared."
9. "You as a parent are responsible for teaching your kids proper manners and common decency. Not their teachers/tutors/babysitters."
"I briefly worked as a Japanese teacher, and I was surprised at how little some of these parents were involved in their kids' lives and expected me to address all their problems during the few hours I had them for the week."
10. "The older your children get, the more autonomy you need to grant them."
"I was expected to act like an adult, but be perfectly fine with being treated like a child. I can’t even describe how frustrating this was."
11. "Your kid doesn't ever really 'belong' to you. They are just another human who has their own life. You're just responsible for helping them figure out life."
13. "The fact that 'just ignore the bullies' isn’t always going to work."
"Especially now that they can torment you 24/7 via cellphones and social media."
14. "Many can't accept that the younger generations have learned how to do things better than they did."
15. "If your kid needs help like speech therapy, tutoring, medication, occupational therapy, etc., it is NOT a reflection on YOU personally."
"Sometimes, kids struggle. That's okay. Making sure your kid has ALL the tools they need to succeed is your responsibility as a parent."
16. "That children can be depressed…even if they don’t pay bills."
"'What do you have to be depressed about?' That’s not how it works…"
17. And finally, "Above all else, YOU should be the safest person for your child."
"You should make it safe for them to be themselves. You should make it safe for them to have bad days or bad emotions. You should make it safe for them to exist. Because if you don't make it safe for them when they're a kid, it's really hard for them to find safety in themselves as an adult."
What's a hard truth that your parents had trouble accepting? Share your experience in the comments below!
Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.