It's hard to be on the receiving end of questionable parenting habits. When your mom or dad is being ridiculous, frustrating, or just all-around crazy, calling them out on their nonsense does not always help the situation get any better. These Redditors understand that conundrum all too well. Some of these frustrating parenting habits can range from universally annoying ticks to uncharacteristically specific quirks and eccentricities. For instance, we've got plenty of folks discussing their par…

Everyone has problems—some may not be as bad, and others will be worse—a lot worse than yours. But that doesn't invalidate any one of those problems or anyone and their feelings. Yes, venting and sharing are good and can make you feel a lot better about your problems, but it's important that it's reciprocal. Like with anything in a relationship, you have to give as much as you take. This pregnant woman had been going through the motions with her friend, who was also pregnant. At first, she was…

We can all probably remember those peaceful weekend mornings, sun filtering through the basement playroom windows, curled up on the couch with our favorite bowl of way-too-sugary cereal that we had to beg our parents to buy. That cereal might as well have been gold; we certainly thought it was worth its weight in it. My parents, however, never showed an interest in eating this cereal themselves. Something about stale marshmallows and really overhyped Cheerios just wasn't all that appealing to t…

Meals are undoubtedly one of the most important daily chores, along with sleep. Being properly fed is one of the things that everything else in a successful and happy life stems from. But providing healthy meals for your family isn't cheap… Have you seen the price of groceries these days? And the time it takes to cook and clean for an entire family can't be understated. So, undoubtedly, the combination of those two things, the time and the price of the actual food, would be supremely valuable.…

We're often taught that you have an obligation to love your family and that “blood is thicker than water” and all of that

Doing favors for people generally would be met with some sort of reciprocation or thanks, and you would generally expect to be compensated for any of your own resources you might spend helping them. Say, something like paying someone for gas when they've given you a ride or picked you up from the airport. It's not an equal transaction because you're not compensating them for their time or for the service they've provided you, but you're at least saving them from bearing the most direct financia…

Let's face it: a lot of us were miserable about stuff when we were kids and teenagers that we would later go on to regret. Even if you have the most positive home environment, it's a confusing and difficult time in your development. Even still, I know there were times when I caused a stink about something only to go on to have the best day, leaving me with lifelong regret for making it difficult for my parents in the first place. But, when you're a teen , there's a high likelihood that you're g…

Doing chores and contributing to the household is just a part of being a member of the household, especially as you get older. The harsh reality is that when you're a teenager, soon the gloves are going to come off, and you're going to be faced with the harsh reality that surviving day to day as an adult requires 10x as much effort just to maintain functional normality as you anticipate when you're a kid at home. Plus, your parents are doing these things daily just to keep the family (what ofte…

Far worse than a cash bar

Family is difficult, perhaps even one of the most difficult things. Even when the relationships are fairly "traditional" and straightforward, let's be honest: what is straightforward? Is there even really a straightforward when it comes to family? The reality is that there hardly ever is, and the families that try and act like things are straightforward are the most likely to be hiding something. When families are more complex, mixed, or “blended” things get even further from simple. And who is…

Finders keepers! It's a rule that can be the best or the worst, depending on if you're the finder or the person who lost something valuable. Finding a $20 bill on the ground is amazing, because there's no way of proving who really lost it. But being the person who went to do laundry and suddenly realized that $20 bill had flown out of their pocket makes you really dislike the “finders keepers” rule. This 8-year-old found themselves on both sides of the rule, starting with a standoff with their…

There's not much a deadbeat dad can do that'll make his children think less of him–except crawling out of the woodwork years after announcing he had a secret family only to ask them to share their college fund with his love child.

Family dynamics are always tough, even in the best of circumstances… Parenting teenagers is difficult enough when they're your own flesh and blood or they're otherwise your sole charge and are obligated to follow your direction. It gets infinitely more difficult when you have another adult who is influential in your life—especially one of their parents who is undermining you and just generally poisoning the well and encouraging them to be toxic towards you at every possible chance. You'd think…

This sounds harsh, but it's one of those lessons where the sooner you learn it in life, the better off you'll be. Success takes effort—and sustained effort at that. At a certain point, a certain amount of sustained effort is going to be an essential factor and determinant of whether you have an income that can support your continued existence and survival. That's not to say that it's the only thing that matters, but for most of us, it's an important starting point. Thus, this lesson holds value…

Seasons may change but Dads will always be the same. Whether you're in elementary school or you just got off of your parent's health insurance, you probably still cringe at your father's jokes, especially at the dinner table. Don't you just want to eat your meatballs in peace and not have to hear some strangely outdated, guffaw-inducing wordplay? Perhaps in theory, but the older you get, the more you come to appreciate those moments even if they're not exactly funny jokes. Perhaps you're on the…

He's gotten a free-ride up until now–It's time to grow up