Truth be told, no matter how many books you read or how many parents you’re friends with, no one is ever ready to be a parent themselves.
Guess what? It’s insanely hard — and the only way to get through the journey is to laugh.
(OK, and sometimes cry.)
Laughter makes parenting worthwhile — especially when you treat yourself to the funniest stories from fellow parents.
That’s why we’ve compiled a list of some of the funniest, most adorable, and most relatable parenting stories as told on Reddit. Hopefully, they’ll give you a more refreshing perspective on parenting by the time you’re done reading.
If you can train yourself to focus more on the hilariously cute things your kids do, your blood pressure and hairline will thank you!
1. Listen To Your Kids (Like, Really Listen)
Who said kids don’t always know what they are saying or doing?
So sometimes the words they use aren’t quite right, but they’re trying to say something nonetheless!
Take this story, for instance. I love how this Mom handled the situation when her young daughter said she wanted to be a prostitute when she grows up. Turns out she wanted to be a prosecutor but she just didn’t know how to say it right!
Here’s how it went down.
A vital lesson that all parents can learn from this story is to not judge their kids before they finish their sentence.
Gently probe further to know where their line of thoughts and suggestions could be stemming from.
In the long run, you can rest assured that you’ll both learn something simply by giving them a listening ear.
2. Teach Them The Importance Of Telling The Truth (Because They Will Tell Hilarious Lies)
All kids eventually experiment with lying to get what they want.
And why not? It’s only natural!
Hopefully they don’t tell any harmful lies, and hopefully the phase doesn’t last long — so learn to laugh at and appreciate their hilarious little fibs.
You can imagine how the parents felt when their 4 year old son lied about his age and said he was 18! All he wanted was to have a chance at the pony ride and thought he wasn’t old enough.
Don’t sweat little lying moments like this.
Set a good example of telling the truth, even when it’s not convenient, and your kids will grow up to be honest humans — I promise.
3. Give Them Freedom To Express Themselves, However Weird It Is
How else will they discover their talents and gifts, right?
Kids have different ways of expressing their emotions and personality. We want them to “behave,” but be careful not to dampen their unique spirit.
A parent on Reddit recently shared a hilariously cute story of how her son got out of the shower and began to do a catchy, if kind of gross, dance. Don’t be the uptight parent who stops the child from this because you think it’s wrong or awkward!
If possible, join in the dance and sing along even when you don’t know the words.
User u/ceose writes:
When you have a baby you’ll be getting a ton of advice. Some you’ll ask for, most you won’t. Some will be useful, a good bit won’t. In the long run you have to do what’s best for your baby, but also what’s best for you. Don’t let someone steamroll you about things you feel strongly about. This is your kid, fuck the haters.
A funny story? Earlier today my son came out of the bathroom, naked, and started doing this weird dance while singing, “I’ve got poop in my butt! You need to wipe it” over and over. The dance was full of hip thrusts and butt shaking. He was very pleased with it.
At least 75% of parenting is making up silly songs and dances, so you might as well get on board now.
4. Know When To Say ‘No’, And When Not To
Sad to say that most parents always have ‘no’ as a ready answer on the tip of their tongue even before their kids complete their request.
But to survive as a parent, you’ll have to learn to pick your battles.
Here’s a cute little story about a girl who demanded to wear her winter hat to bed.
Mom and dad we were worried it might be a safety issue, so they said no, assuming she’d forget about it in the morning.
Wrong!
You have to draw your own line and pick your own battles (though it’s easy to say No when safety is concerned).
But it sure is fun to laugh at the ridiculous requests your kids get fixated on.
5. Appreciate Their Wild Imaginations
One of the fun things about parenting is that you get to hear your child’s thoughts firsthand.
(And believe me, they have no filter.)
The baby boy in this Reddit story once told his mom that he remembered being in her tummy and how ‘creepy’ the entire experience was for him. He even elaborated on the horrendous imagination by saying he saw bats inside his mom’s womb!
It’s important as a parent to learn to distinguish lies from your child exercising his wonderful imagination.
Does he really remember the womb? It’s… doubtful.
But his retelling sure is entertaining!
6. Savor Moments When They’re Hilariously & Innocently Wrong
I love when kids are just completely wrong about something.
My own daughter is doing this less and less, but I try to savor it when she says “constructions” instead of “instructions” or other cute misspeaks.
I came across another story on Reddit where a parent shares that her son thought ghosts made the ‘moo’ sound when he was younger. In a bid to scare his older sister, he’d run around the house letting out the ‘moooooooooo’ sound.
Rather than bring out the horror he’d anticipated, he was being cute in the most comical way.
These moments won’t last forever. You have to gobble them up while you can!
7. Choose Your Words VERY Carefully
Communication is key in EVERY relationship, not just the one you have with your spouse or significant other. It’s important even in your relationship with your kids.
Otherwise, it’ll be close to impossible to raise them to be responsible adults.
You’ll learn quickly as a parent that your instructions and communication with your kids needs to be crystal clear.
To see why, here’s a story from a dad whose 2 year old daughter begged to have some gum.
He categorically asked her not to handle it with her hands when she was done chewing it. The message got home safe and she ended up swallowing it instead!
Hey, I’m sure it was a good lesson for everyone involved!
Wrapping Up
Parenting is difficult, exhausting, and frankly brutal at times.
It will push you to your mental, physical, and emotional limits.
But you know what? It’s also filled with joy and more than a few hilarious moments along the way.
Use these little funny nuggets from your own kids as fuel to keep going, and when something funny does happen, share it with other parents! They’re going to need some light encouragement, themselves.
Before you go, check out some of my favorite inspiring love and marriage stories from Reddit.
You might also like my guide to science-backed methods for being a better dad.
Hope this helps!