logo
HomeReal Life
Julie | Source: Tiktok/@fairly_goth_mother/
Julie | Source: Tiktok/@fairly_goth_mother/

My Biggest Parenting Fail Sparked Thousands of Reactions & Comments

Dorcus Osongo
Mar 13, 2024
09:50 A.M.

A mother's online confession about her parenting mishap sparked a viral conversation, with thousands of reactions and comments. Humorously labeling herself the queen of bad mothers, she encouraged other mothers to share their own experiences of parental fails and challenges in motherhood.

Advertisement
Julie | Source: Tiktok/@fairly_goth_mother/

Julie | Source: Tiktok/@fairly_goth_mother/

Motherhood can bring about unexpected changes, as demonstrated by one TikToker's story. The TikToker's experience highlighted how the simplest errands can become complex adventures when balancing the needs of a child.

Julie shared on TikTok that she hadn't realized before becoming a mom that there would be no more "popping to the shops" as she used to. She explained that when one becomes a mom, whenever they need to go out, they have to bring everything for their child along. Julie admitted that she'd be damned if she did that.

Julie | Source: Tiktok/@fairly_goth_mother/

Julie | Source: Tiktok/@fairly_goth_mother/

Advertisement

With her husband working from home after the baby's arrival, Julie developed a routine of putting their daughter to sleep and then quickly heading to Tesco to grab dinner ingredients before racing back home.

One day, while in the frozen aisle at Tesco, she texted her husband to ask what he wanted for lunch. The husband had been so busy working so Julie knew she hadn't eaten yet. Julie's husband told her he'd love to have chicken for lunch.

Julie | Source: Tiktok/@fairly_goth_mother/

Julie | Source: Tiktok/@fairly_goth_mother/

Julie texted him for clarification wondering what kind of chicken he would love, such as nuggets or Kiev. As Julie continued to list to her husband the kind of chicken he might like to have, he finally mentioned, "Whatever's on in the canteen, Julie, I'm in Edinburgh."

Advertisement

Julie realized her mistake as her husband wasn't home as she previously assumed. When this reality dawned on her, Julie dashed out of the store empty-handed. Racing home, she entered through the unlocked door that she'd left that way because she thought her husband was home.

Julie | Source: Tiktok/@fairly_goth_mother/

Julie | Source: Tiktok/@fairly_goth_mother/

Julie ran upstairs only to find her daughter peacefully sleeping, unaware of the chaos. Relieved, Julie shared her story in response to a TikToker asking for people's biggest parenting fails, humorously dubbing herself the "Queen of the s**t mums." Reflecting on the incident, she concluded, "Welp… I never did that again…"

Julie | Source: Tiktok/@fairly_goth_mother/

Julie | Source: Tiktok/@fairly_goth_mother/

Advertisement

Parents and children flocked Julie's comment section to narrate their experiences. A woman shared a surprising childhood memory where her grandfather, unknowingly, left her sleeping in her pram outside a bar. After finishing his drink, he returned home, only to realize he had forgotten the baby when her grandmother inquired about her whereabouts.

Julie | Source: Tiktok/@fairly_goth_mother/

Julie | Source: Tiktok/@fairly_goth_mother/

Another user commented, "Mom left my sister parked in her pram outside woolies. She only remembered on her way home…on the bus." More parents shared their parenting fails, "Newborn twins. 1 was screaming hysterically and we couldn't figure out why. We'd accidentally fed her sister twice and not fed her. They're non id."

A  mom with her twins. | Source: Getty Images

A mom with her twins. | Source: Getty Images

Advertisement

A parent shared her embarrassment when, after the afternoon school run, exhaustion led her to take a brief nap while her son watched TV. She awoke at midnight to her son asking for dinner, realizing she had slept for eight hours. Consequently, she allowed her son to skip school the next day.

Another parent narrated her pain at ignoring her son's injury. The mom thought her son had twisted his ankle, so she only told him he'd feel better tomorrow. "Turns out he'd broken his foot and I'd left him alnight thinking it would be ok," explained the mom.

A boy with fractured ankle in cast. | Source: Getty Images

A boy with fractured ankle in cast. | Source: Getty Images

A mom commented her hilarious experience, "I walked my son 3 miles to school in his socks and didn't realize until I spotted his shoes around 2pm…I called the school and they didn't notice."

Advertisement

More mothers narrated their parenting fails, with one recalling a time she fell asleep while breastfeeding her baby, only to wake up with a jolt and standing up, her baby fell onto the floor. A child also recalled when his parents left him on London underground while on holiday. The parents just jumped on the tube and left him on the platform when was three years old.

Smiling boy is waiting for train inside underground station in London. | Source: Getty Images

Smiling boy is waiting for train inside underground station in London. | Source: Getty Images

Julie's humorous mishap at the grocery store has over 18,000 likes on TikTok and over 1000 comments were shared on the post. Her narration sparked a wave of similar anecdotes from fellow parents, highlighting the unpredictable journey of parenthood.

Julie | Source: Tiktok/@fairly_goth_mother/

Julie | Source: Tiktok/@fairly_goth_mother/

Advertisement

Despite occasional mishaps, parents persevere through the challenges of raising children with unwavering love and resilience. What's your biggest parenting fail? Share your experiences with us!

Meanwhile, here is another story about a mom who woke up in the middle of the night in panic because her baby was missing from the crib.

Mother Awakens in Panic as Her Baby Is Gone from the Crib at Night

A Reddit user with the username Tw5676 once posted on the "Beyond The Bump" channel asking readers for advice on her situation. The poster shared that her husband was an only child whose mother has always been too involved in their lives.

A younger woman smiling while talking to an older one while seated on a couch | Source: Shutterstock

A younger woman smiling while talking to an older one while seated on a couch | Source: Shutterstock

Advertisement

She and her mother-in-law kind of got along, but her husband's mother tended to cross lines. Tw5676's mother-in-law was only given a key to their house for emergencies since she lived four blocks away.

The original poster welcomed her daughter four weeks before sharing her story. In that time, her mother-in-law had been over three times weekly and always told her what she was doing wrong and mentioned how she'd do things differently.

A mother smiling while snuggling her baby to her chest | Source: Shutterstock

A mother smiling while snuggling her baby to her chest | Source: Shutterstock

The poster's daughter woke up at two-hour intervals each night, but her grandmother insisted the child would sleep through the night if she were at her place. Tw5676 made it clear she wasn't comfortable with her four-week-old breastfeeding baby sleeping somewhere else overnight.

Advertisement

However, her mother-in-law kept pushing that agenda, no matter how many times the Reddit user said no. One night, the poster put her daughter in her crib in another room, and her husband was responsible for waking up to feed the child.

A younger woman arguing with an older one while seated on a couch | Source: Shutterstock

A younger woman arguing with an older one while seated on a couch | Source: Shutterstock

That night, she and her husband fell asleep, but she woke up hours later in panic due to the baby girl being so quiet. The new parent worried her child had died, and when she entered her room, the infant was gone!

The worried mother started screaming her daughter's name, waking up her equally confused husband. Deciding to take action, the woman ran to call 911, but that's when she saw a picture message from the child's grandmother.

A younger woman upset while arguing with an older one while seated on a couch | Source: Shutterstock

A younger woman upset while arguing with an older one while seated on a couch | Source: Shutterstock

Advertisement

The photo showed her mother-in-law with her granddaughter sleeping in her arms, with the caption reading: "Sleepover at gamgams." Tw5676 was "immediately enraged" and called her husband's mother in a rage and told her she was coming for the baby.

The poster told her mother-in-law she'd never see her granddaughter again and to never contact her family. Her husband ended up going to get their baby and explained when he got back how his mother decided to let herself in to give them a break and was sure they'd hear the text message and would be thankful for a good night's sleep.

An older woman smiling while snuggling a happy baby | Source: Shutterstock

An older woman smiling while snuggling a happy baby | Source: Shutterstock

But Tw5676 wasn't having it. She couldn't forgive her mother-in-law and felt like divorcing her husband for his lack of urgency. She already had postpartum anxiety (PPA), but now it was worse as she thought she couldn't feel safe or protect her child.

Advertisement

The Reddit user hated her husband and his mother and cried non-stop when she thought about the kidnapping. The poster couldn't sleep anymore and felt like a lousy mother who'd fail her child if real danger came.

An upset woman covering her face while sitting on a couch with someone standing in the background | Source: Shutterstock

An upset woman covering her face while sitting on a couch with someone standing in the background | Source: Shutterstock

Her husband and his mother thought she overreacted because of hormones, and she wanted to know if she was for wanting a divorce and never seeing her mother-in-law again. The parent chose Reddit as an outlet because she wanted neutral people to weigh in, as she had no friends or family nearby.

After reading user comments, Tw5676 cried as she felt supported and that someone was on her side. The poster reached out to her mother, who was disgusted by the situation and flew over to help her as she'd moved out to a hotel with the baby.

Advertisement
A woman clutching her hands together while crying | Source: Shutterstock

A woman clutching her hands together while crying | Source: Shutterstock

She was looking into solo therapy and would be keen on couples counseling to determine if her marriage was salvageable. Going back home was no longer an option; she was even looking into getting a restraining order for her mother-in-law.

The poster was concerned about what her daughter's grandmother was capable of since she could pull off a kidnapping. She came back with an update two weeks later at the insistence of Reddit users.

When the poster's mother arrived, she sat with her while she finally got some well-needed sleep. Her husband asked to meet, and he apologized and confessed she was right that his mother had crossed a line.

An older woman sitting on a couch and looking outside thoughtfully | Source: Shutterstock

An older woman sitting on a couch and looking outside thoughtfully | Source: Shutterstock

Advertisement

He said he struggled to accept that she'd done something wrong, so instead, he tried to brush the incident off. The poster's husband changed the locks at their home and said he'd support whatever measures his wife chose to take when it came to her mother-in-law.

Her husband's family texted her after the incident. They gave her their support and apologized for what had happened. Days later, her husband met up with her again, and this time, he came with a letter from his mother apologizing for what she did.

A mother holding her baby while reading a letter. | Source: Getty Images

A mother holding her baby while reading a letter. | Source: Getty Images

The mother-in-law said she was "terrified" of losing her daughter-in-law and grandchild but would keep her distance. Her twice-a-week therapy sessions taught her not to rush into any major decisions, and she was taking it a day at a time.

Tw5676's husband saw their child daily, and she thanked everyone for their support as several people responded positively and in her favor. If it was you in this situation, what would you have done if you were in the mother's shoes?

Advertisement
Advertisement
Related posts