What's the worst thing you've ever done as a parent?

[TXmom]

I'm not looking for child abuse here, but I feel a need to confess and I don't want to be alone LOL! Today I actually knew my son was sick, but I Tylenoled him up and sent him to Preschool anyway. I know, I'm horrible and every Mom out there who's child catches a cold in the next 3 days can blame me for letting my child spread germs around. Dh couldn't take off work and I needed to turn some papers in at school. There, I said it (sob)!

[kacee]

Does getting rid of all the Halloween candy today count??

[Diane]

The worst thing I can remember doing was that I prematurely scolded my youngest dd for not being caught up on her homework without finding out the facts from her first.

One day, just before a holiday my dd's Math teacher called to inform me that my dd was evidently WAY behind in her homework assignments because she hadn't handed in her notebook, which was due that day. She went on to tell me that she had scolded my dd during class because she had noticed her doing some of the assignment that had been handed out the night before... Well, I thought it was very unlike my dd to do this because it just wasn't something she would do. I (probably sounded stupid) asked the teacher if she was SURE it was Shelly... YEP... she was sure. She told me that my dd would probably be VERY busy during her 3 day weekend trying to play catch up... but she expected that notebook to be turned in on the next day of school. Well... about 15 minutes later when my dd walked in through the door I asked her if she had brought any homework home for the weekend. She replied... No, she was all caught up in everything and didn't have any. I laid into her and started scolding her for not handing in her Math notebook... and how embarrassed I was that her teacher had to call me with that bit of information. WHY didn't you turn in your notebook??? Well... you can just about imagine how I felt when she told me that SHE ALREADY DID... during class that day and ON TIME. Ugh!!!!! I was SOOO mad at myself and ANGRY/disappointed that this teacher had called me with something that was not true... I felt like an inch (or less) tall and couldn't apologize to my dd more. I asked her why she was doing her homework IN class that day and she told me that she wasn't DOING her homework but correcting one she noticed was wrong before she handed it in. She went on to tell me that her teacher had YELLED at her in front of the whole classroom and wouldn't even let her tell her what she was doing. Needless to say... I wasn't happy with myself OR the teacher. It WAS all just a misunderstanding but I couldn't apologize to my dd more because deep down inside I KNEW her better than that but... I trusted the teacher more than I trusted my dd. Needless to say, the teacher heard it from me. I told her I expected her to at least apologize to my dd, but she never did. Ugh!!! I felt like the BADDEST mommy in the world. Otherwise... I can't really think of anything that I did... maybe except for the time I turned around, tripped on my dd and knocked her right down the steps. Well, it WAS only 3 steps but still... Ugh!

Diane... :wave:

[AnnW]

If the WORST thing you have done is sick a sick kid to school, then I ain't sharing!!!!! LOL
BTDT and more!

[Diane]

Originally posted by AnnW
If the WORST thing you have done is sick a sick kid to school, then I ain't sharing!!!!! LOL
BTDT and more!

Okay Ann, now you've REALLY peeked my curiousity... fess up!!! LOL It couldn't have been THAT bad. Were all only human!!! :biglaugh:

Diane... :wave:

[TXmom]

Diane
I'm sorry but your story about tripping your dd and knocking her down the steps had me LOL!! It wasn't funny I'm sure, but just hearing it made me laugh.

Ann
OK then share a semi-worst thing!

[AnnW]

Good grief..you want a list??? LOL
I think forgetting to pick him up was probably the worst. He kept saying "you weren't BUSY, stuck in traffic??? you just FORGOT????" with this look of befuddled amazement! LOL

[angie r]

AnnW - That is one of my biggest fears!! My parents were always last or forgetting to pick me up. :\

I can't think of anything that I have done? I've only been parenting 5 years though so I have time! I do remember one time I was totally stressed and I yelled at the kids that if they didn't behave I was going to be put in an insane asylum. They just looked at me, like, huh?

[Cathy]

Dd1- Made her walk down the stairs and get into the car (even though she blacked out twice), because she said her back hurt. I thought she was being a wimp. Who knew someone could actually break her back falling out of bed?? And no it wasn't a bunk bed or a loft.

Dd2- Felt like the worst parent and human being when I asked her why she was so tired and didn't want to take a walk. She said her legs hurt. I asked her how long they had hurt, and she said always if she walked too much. Then she asked, "Don't everyone's legs hurt when they walk?" She has a foot and ankle bone issue that make her miserable when she doesn't have proper support, but she'd never complained. (She was 10!)

Dd3- I had to tell her that I couldn't pick her up at school when she was sick, because my partner was out sick, and I couldn't get dd a doctor's appointment until later. I had to hear her say later, "Do you really like your school kids better than us??"

Thanks for asking. Do you have any more salt you'd like to rub in my wounds? I have other issues that I haven't spilled here. LOL

[Diane]

Originally posted by AnnW
Good grief..you want a list??? LOL
I think forgetting to pick him up was probably the worst. He kept saying "you weren't BUSY, stuck in traffic??? you just FORGOT????" with this look of befuddled amazement! LOL

Ann... forgetting to pick your child up is NOT that bad, it happens. I've had parents forget to pick their kids up from day care before. I had one parent go home... start supper and an hour later wondered why it was so quiet... LOL That's when it dawned on her that she had forgotten to pick up her three children. :biglaugh: I had another parent who thought his wife was picking the kids up from day care and the wife thought that her dh was. They didn't realize that neither of them had the kids until they met up back at home about two hours later and neither one of them had the kids. I never thought of ANY of them as bad parents... just very busy ones. :) Don't be so hard on yourself! :)

Diane... :wave:

[Linda/NE]

It's comforting to hear the rest of you understand when parents screw up. It's so frustrating with my director at work. She's SO critical of the parents, other day care providers in town (besides the one she uses), and previous preschool programs that are no longer in operation. There are days I just want to scream at her "If you only knew what some of these people think of you!!" LOL

I had one parent feeling just awful last week for not remembering about show n tell and she continued to tell me how she had forgotten to sit her son down the night before and make sure he did his homework. I told her not to be so hard on herself and that she's not a bad mother. (Now, my director may have told her the same thing in that situation, but after she left she would have been very critical of her. :( ) You can't tell I hate when people are like that can you??
It reminds me of going into the beauty shop and hear the hair dressers gossip about the person who just left. Wonder what they say about me after I leave. In fact I've changed hair dressers for that fact alone!

Okay so I'm off the subject (yes, I'm avoiding the question!)

I don't know if I can pin point ONE worst parent moment ( I have so many!) Lately I've felt like the worst parent when my kids end up going to school with mismatched socks, dirty socks, wrinkled clothes or what ever because I'm behind on the laundry. Not to mention that my ds #2 didn't earn his book it certificate for Oct. because I didn't get his sheet signed stating that he read these books. (Of course he didn't give me the sheet either)

[RCT]

ok, I'll share....but this better not hurt....LOL

ds ~ was about 10 months old...I was a new SAHM....life was wonderful ( are you picturing the birds chiping and deer looking in my windows LOL) ds was just crawling around on the floor of our living room rug...I was having a cup of coffee....placed it on the coffee table, ds grabbed it....it poured all over his dr. dentons....I ripped those suckers off that kid so fast I scratched his little arm....he didn't get burned by the coffee...but man I felt so bad for so long about drinking hot coffee on near the baby.....

dd ~ I went off shopping not to long ago...and thought I could beat the bus back home. (the bus will not let the Pre-k kids off the bus unless there is a parent or adult waiting for them...they take them back to the school) well I didn't.....I caught the bus coming down my street....it stopped and there was a bawling little 4 year old, who told me she thought I had run away.....:bawling: that was sad....


oh and I used to cut thier fingers when they were infants every time I would clip thier finger nails....blood everywhere....eeewwhh...

OK, I feel awful...thanks for letting me share..

[TXmom]

See now don't we all feel better?!