So the other day a big baby product company posted a picture on its Facebook page of a maybe 3 year old holding a marker sitting next to a maybe 9 month old in an infant bouncer, the baby of course with his face covered in blue marker. The post was meant to be funny as in, haha the joys of motherhood. Then the Facebook comments started coming in and people were pissed. They did not find the picture funny and bashed the mother for leaving the kids unattended. Some said the kids must have been un-attended for a long time because it would have taken a long time for the 3 year old to do that. Oh and by the way later on that day they apologized for posting the picture.
Now I don’t know about other kids, but mine are sneaky and fast. Everyday my kids surprise me with something that I am shocked over how they accomplished. Like how my 1 year old figured out how to get out her highchair straps and climb on her highchair tray, or how my 3 year old could find a blue marker and color himself blue like a Smurf.
It takes just minutes, sometimes seconds, for my kids to do something wrong. Yes I do have to go to the bathroom occasioally during the day, yes I do wash dishes or throw laundry in. I don’t so much as leave my kids unattended as I turn my back to them while doing different tasks throughout the day. So when I read those comments about that mother neglecting her kids, I was upset. I felt for the mother who yeah maybe she was out of the room neglecting her kids or maybe she was right there washing dishes and turned around to find that. No mother can watch her kids 24 hours a day, nor should she have to. We have to trust our kids, sometimes and hope for the best. And when they do something wrong, we have to learn to laugh…. and take pictures.
So I ask, what is your worst mommy moment?
Mine would probably be when my then 2 year old drew all over his playroom walls with a green Sharpie marker the day before we were moving. I had a 3 month old I was tending to at the time and I cried when I saw the room. Then I laughed and grabbed my camera, and then I called my husband who had to pick up paint on his way home. He frantically painted the whole room that night so we would have no issues with closing.
Red says
I agree! My worst parenting moment was when my then 14 month old handed me a steak knife. I was in the same room and watching him the entire time and just wants used to him being able to walk and reach something on the table. I felt horrible. But stuff happens. You can’t prevent it all. You can’t watch them every second (and by the time they are three it’s reasonable to allow them to play in a separate – child proofed- room for periods of time).
Can’t believe your son did that the day before moving! The timing!!
Kate K says
Ha ha. Kids are so devious! I woke up one night around 3 am to a noise downstairs. I tip-toed into the kitchen to see my 11 YO eating ice cream out of the carton, (I had denied her ice cream after dinner for being disrespectful, and she wanted ice cream darn it!). I can laugh about things now, but when they at them time they happen it’s not always so funny.
Cher says
Oh I cold totally see my kids doing this!
Heather says
That is why I now keep the art supplies high up on a shelf. Too many of those moments. But yes, I do agree with you, sometimes mommy has to “take a crap” and you may have to leave your child unattended for a moment or two and kids will take any opportunity possible to get away with what they can. I feel bad for that mom too. Funny pics! 😉 I think post might lead me to one of my next blog posts. So thanks for that!
Cher says
Kids are sneaky! I sometimes wonder if they all conspire together!
Tiffany says
I went to the restroom real quick. My four kids were all sitting on the floor, quietly watching mickey mouse. The next thing I hear is one of my twins(1) is screaming out in pain. I ran to the living room, pulling up my pants on the way, and see her holding her ear. Turns out her big sister,(5) had picked her up and started to swing her around. Her head did not clear the entertainment center, smacking her right on the ear. To make matters worse, my twin had a q-tip out of her diaper bag and had stuck it in that same ear, and it was in there when she hit her ear. So she ended up with a pierced eardrum and bleeding from her ear. This all happened within a matter of a minute and a half. I think people need to do a much better job of not judging others, crap happens really quickly and even the most prepared parent can experience mischief at the hands of their children!
Cher says
Ugh that is awful! I know people judge us as bad moms but kids are just so fast!
Terra Heck says
I think people are too quick to judge. And I can guarantee that no parent is perfect.
Cher says
Very quick to judge! I think the worst judgers are non-parents!
Kayla @ TheEclecticElement says
There will unfortunately always be those ‘haters’ out there that jump at the chance to leave negative comments and remarks all over the place. The thing is we don’t KNOW about a situation unless we’re in those person’s shoes, which will never truly happen.
Like you said, all we can do as human beings and as mothers is the best we can do. Nobody is perfect, but you can always do your best!
And as the old saying goes, “If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry.”
Cher says
Crying definitely helps!
jamie braun says
last month my 2 year old drew all over the bathroom wall
Cher says
Did you try Magic Eraser? That helps. We have cheap paint so it didn’t work for us but on good painted walls, we had good luck getting crayon and marker off.
Susan Heim says
My toddler twins were playing safely inside their indoor playard when I ducked out for just a moment to use the bathroom. When I returned, I found that one of the boys had taken off his dirty diaper and smeared his mushy poop all over his twin brother (and himself)! I pulled the diaper out of the playard and set it on the floor and then scooped up both boys for a trip to the shower. When we returned, I discovered that a bunch of ants had come through the window and were swarming all over the diaper. That was definitely one of my worst mommy days ever!
Cher says
Ugh! None of my kids ever played with poop but my sister used to take her diaper off every nap time and smear it on her crib and the wall – everyday! My mom used to tape it on and she still got it off!
Carrie Phelps says
I admit I laughed at the pictures! My 3 year old grandson showed up at my house yesterday with perm. marker all over his face, said he had tattooed himself!
Cher says
Ugh kids! 🙂
D SCHMIDT says
You are so right! My then two year old did a very similar thing with red nail polish the day before we moved home as well. At the time it is frustrating but you do need to remind yourself they have no idea about consequence or how to behave. Its more upsetting to know you often cannot express to others the crazy things your children have gotten up to because you feel judged even before you open your mouth.
Cher says
I think the worst judgers are women who don’t have kids!
Erika E says
My son painted his race car bed with diaper cream when he was about 3. A mom just can’t be there every second.
Cher says
Ugh and diaper cream is greasy usually, I bet that was a pain to clean!
latanya says
My son is at that stage where we wants to dry on himself, the walls, the carpet, the desk etc. He also likes putting lotion everywhere. Cute and funny pictures:)
Susan @Homeschooling Hearts & Minds says
People who make comments like that either don’t have kids, have incredibly sedate kids, or haven’t had littles in so long that they don’t really remember what it was like. My 3-year-old was able to dump the entire contents of my spice drawer in less than 5 minutes and can color her entire body with a Sharpie in about 2 minutes.
Worst moment: when I walked through my living room and potty water poured onto my head from ceiling—my 7-year-old was in the upstairs bathroom and apparently the potty back-up, he panicked and flushed and flushed until the bathroom floor flooded and went through the downstairs ceiling. No doubt someone will say that I should have been watching my son while he was using the potty. (insert rolling eyes here). I’m not running a prison, folks.
Cher says
Kids are crazy fast! My kids do something crazy like that at least once a week and sometimes I admit I don’t even tell anyone for fear of being judged.