Being a parent can feel isolating at times, especially in this last year. But that's why it's been so fun to go on TikTok and see parenting videos that make us all feel less alone. The social media site is a pretty safe space for talking about our mom fails or parenting woes. Sure, some people in the comments may judge. But for the most part, it's a big community of people who know that most parents are just doing their best.
These relatable parenting moments cover everything from accidental injuries to being unable to keep up with Pinterest to feeling like our doctor is judging us for the amount of screen time our kids get. If ever we've had a negative or frustrated feeling about parenting, chances are someone else on TikTok has had it too, and they're willing to make a funny video about it.
Not-So-Perfect Playroom
This video shows a side-by-side of what this mom thought her kids' playroom would look like, versus what it actually looks like — with toys strewn all over the floor and no semblance of a real color scheme. Pinterest makes it seem like it's easy to keep a perfectly aesthetic playroom, but we all know that's just not the case. And that's OK!
Screen Time
Pediatricians are really not there to judge our parenting, but sometimes it feels like they are! We can all relate to this mom lying to her doctor about whether or not their kids use the iPad or watch TV. A ton of screen time may not be good for little ones, but we're OK to do it every now and then. Sometimes mama just needs a break, OK?
Introducing the Baby to New Things
There's so much for our babies to explore in the world, and it's so funny to watch them try to process their surroundings. In this video, a baby learns about the vaccuum for the first time and seems less than sure of what on earth is going on. Not only is this a relatable parenting moment, but the baby's face is also representative of what we look like when dealing with new parenting problems.
So Embarrassing
As they grow up, our kids start to get embarrassed of us, but we were embarrassed by them first! Our kids do so many things that make us feel bad, but we can take solace in knowing that we're all in this together. This TikTok mom shared a story of the time she gave her child the phone to watch a cartoon while Mom showered — only the baby figured out how to livestream her shower on social media. Kids, man.
Parenting Confessions
This is a whole video of hilarious confessions of being a parent, but one of our favorites is when the dad says sometimes he puts his kids to bed at 7:30 instead of 8. After all, that's the bonus of them not being able to tell time! It's these little wins as moms and dads that we just have to take. Everything else is so hard. We need these.
Dangerous Baby
The voiceover on this video jokes, "They say the chances of your baby killing you are low, but not impossible." That plays over a clip of the baby pretend stabing Mom with a hairbrush. The kid probably didn't know what they were doing, but we can all relate as parents to being a little freaked out by our kids from time to time.
Accidents Happen
Whoops! This mom was excited to play football with her young son, but when she gently tossed him the ball, it accidentally hit him in the face. Don't worry, he was OK! He even laughed. But we bet the mom felt sooo bad. These kind of accidents happen to us all, and they never get easier. At least we can commiserate on TikTok.
What Happens to Those Baby Blankets
People love gifting baby blankets to newborns, and it's likely that the kid's gonna get pretty attached to at least one of them. And that attachment … may never go away. There are a ton of these videos on TikTok joking about how parents probably thought their kids would like a blanket or a stuffed animal for just a few years, but then it cuts to the kid as an adult with their extremely worn item today. By all means, give a kid a baby blanket — just know that they may keep it forever.
Bike Riding Fail
Teaching our kids how to ride a bike for the first time is a momentous moment in parenting. Unfortunately, these parents forgot to teach their kid one important aspect — stopping. When the mom realized that their little one didn't know how to stop, she lost it in a fit of giggles. Fortunately the kid just ran the bike into the grass and gently tipped over. Next step, learning to actually brake.
Memory Lapse
"When you're at the pool and some kid is acting a fool and then you realize it's your kid," this mom captioned her video. Haven't we all done that before? "Whose kid is making all that noise? Oh whoops, it's ours." Sometimes it would be easier to pretend it wasn't our child throwing the massive tantrum, but alas, we're good parents who take responsibilty for our children's embarrassing behavior.
Beware Little Ears
Little kids are always listening and processing, so it doesn't surprise us that this mom's kid asked her what "WAP" meant after hearing her mom sing along to Cardi B. Fortunately, Mama pulled out the great definition of "wonderful awesome people." The real meaning is a lesson for another day.
Science Experiment Gone Wrong
This mom joked, "Note to self: Don't help with science experiments," after her child's went terribly wrong. Mom was helping pour an icy water bottle into a jar to demonstrate … something? It was never entirely clear. But when the water refused to budge, she made the mistake of pointing it toward her face. Only then did the water come exploding out.
Ungrateful Kids
Childrean really don't understand how much us parents do for them. This mom decided to show her kids how many "gifts" she buys them on a daily basis. She went around the house sticking bows and wrapping paper on things like the lights (she pays the electricity), the faucet (water isn't cheap), and even the house. Maybe now her kids will get it?
Boy Mom Struggles
Being a boy mom is not without its challenges. This mama found that out the hard way when searching for a rank smell inside her home. Turns out her little one had rubbed some stinky stuff on his mom! The smell was her! She was both grossed out and embarrassed, a familiar set of feelings for mothers of boys.
All Things Being Equal
If we never have to hear, "That's not fair!" again, it will be too soon. Any parent with more than one kid knows that they make everything a competition. So even when this mom showed her kids that, yes, they had the same amount of juice just in different cups, they couldn't grasp that it was actually equal. Sigh.
