Raising strong, empathetic, well-adjusted children is not an easy task. And everyone will have their own opinions on what’s best for your kids. “It should be a crime to let them look at screens!” And “They should never be given snacks that contain Red 40!” But at the end of the day, it’s up to you as their mother or father to decide what they need. And there’s no such thing as a perfect parent anyway!

But sadly, there is such a thing as a bad parent. And Redditors have recently been sharing heartbreaking stories of the worst parenting they’ve ever witnessed. We’ll warn you right now, pandas, that these replies might not be easy to stomach. But they’re important reminders that not everyone deserves to have kids.

#1

Oh boy here we go, I lived in Abitibi, back in 2013 for about a week, my hometown was the coldest town on earth. I was at a friend’s place, playing cards and his 4 years-old daughter was a real pest, but hey, it’s a kid, I could tolerate with ease. At one point, she grabbed my deck of cards and threw it on the wall, messing it up somewhat, but nothing too bad. Her dad then took her, started yelling and took her to the patio, locking the door. She was in her pajamas. I started giving him an earful and he told me ‘relax, it works every times.’ WHAT?!?!?! I shoved him away, took his daughter back in, she was already so cold! I called the police while he was berating me. He’s still out there, but divorced and his now teenage girl don’t want anything to do with him.

Image credits: Unhappy_Willow4651

#2

Toddlers & Tiaras.

Image credits: thatsimsgirl

#3

My cousin had a kid, poor little guy, and she just gave him a screen all the damn time. He got to 6 years old and could barely speak. He got so frustrated that he couldn’t communicate his feelings he developed really bad anger issues and had to have therapy. That’s a side of the family I ignore. So horrible, I hate to think what else went on with him.

Image credits: EmmaJuned

#4

Last time I went to Chicago there was a little girl selling something for a school fundraiser. Thanks to the security guard there I quickly learned that parents send there small children (I’m talking 4-10 year olds ) into these huge crowds of people/tourists pretending to be raising funds for school activities when in reality any money they get goes back to the parent and you never receive what you ordered. Apparently this has become quite common there at least in touristy areas. Using your kids for your benefit is bad enough parenting. Making your very small child go into a crowd of strangers and having them go up to random people from God knows where is just insane.

Image credits: ell_fin

#5

Yesterday I was at the dermatologist and this lady had two boys around the ages 3&5 and the older one hit the younger one and then they both just scream at each other back and forth at the top of their lungs. She never once looked up at them, never said a word just continued to play on her phone. The whole waiting room plus reception were staring open mouthed at her.

Image credits: Wyoming_Okie

#6

I’m a paramedic. I have plenty of bad parenting stories, but perhaps one of the worst cases I have seen was a baby girl that was starved. She was about 6 months old. We were called to help a smaller service and when we got there we found out that it was the grandma that had called us. She was seizing due to malnutrition and sheer neglect. The little girl was just skin and bones. We rushed her to the hospital where we were met by her angry parents. They were mad at us and the grandma for taking the little girl from home to get her medical help.

Image credits: Quettelo

#7

When I worked at a shelter for several years, there was one woman whose almost 3 year old was still breastfeeding. She was on [drugs], and if she stopped nursing her son went into terrible withdrawals. Just inconsolable. And since he was addicted, all he’d eat was sugar, so it’s all she ever gave him. Every single tooth looked like it was rotting out of his head.

Image credits: Former-Finish4653

#8

My brother and his wife actively prevent and limit the amount of interaction their children have with their grandparents (particularly my parents) because they don’t want their kids loving their grandparents more than them. My parents are amazing grandparents and my daughter loves them more than anything and I have no problem with that.

Image credits: DaagTheDestroyer

#9

Watching your kid behave badly and laughing about it. Too many parents think their kids bad behavior is cute.

Image credits: surveyor2004

#10

My neighbors who live behind me. They let their kids run around and scream at all hours of the day and night. Then they got a puppy and all-but ignore the poor thing. It just sits outside howling to come in. The kids used to bounce on the trampoline and taunt my dogs and throw stuff over the fence. When I confronted them about it the parents ignored me. Like they literally just walked away. I finally stopped throwing things back and started popping the balls in front of the kids and letting my dogs chew up whatever other toys they threw.

Image credits: ItsMRslash

#11

My cousin had a child at 16. Abandoned it with the child’s grandmother, refused to let the mother see him, and went to start a new family with a new girl. This kid is 9 now, has never been to school, has zero social skills, and is absolutely starved for attention. He’s so sweet, but I feel terrible for his situation. My father wanted to adopt him the second my cousin didn’t want him, but my aunt (on my mom’s side) had custody and refused. I’ve been trying to teach him how to read and write, but he’s so far behind academically it’s difficult.

Image credits: True_85

#12

I was at the grocery store and a child, probably 4 or 5, was asking his mom for a Snickers bar. She said no, so he started screaming and running through the grocery store knocking things off the shelves. After about 10 minutes of this, she took the candy bar, unwrapped it, and physically put it directly into his open, screaming mouth. Like she was giving a crying baby a bottle.

Image credits: 666netflix

#13

The family across the street from my house where I grew up had four kids. Their mom and dad chased and beat them with all kinds of things—mops, cords, hockey stick—whatever they could grab running out their side door as they chased the kids down the street. No one ever called the police or CPS. The 1980s was an interesting era for parenting.

Image credits: SharonWit

#14

Former HS principal. Small town. 50 students per grade. Out in hall by office door one morning before school. Maybe 7:45 AM.

10th gr girl is at locker next to my office door. A bit wobbly.

“Hey (name) you feeling ok?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” As she keeps head down.

Puts juice bottle in backpack. Fumbles with pencils, pens. Drops roll of mints like wearing oven mitts. Sits on floor cross legged to pick them up. Hangs on locker door to get to her feet.

“Sure you’re ok?”

“Yes” came the voldka flavored reply.

In the office. Call school soc wkr, cops, parents.
Juice bottle is more alcohol than juice. Soc wkr sitting in chair next to my desk. We explain the lowdown to Mom (Suspension, citation, etc…)

Mom gets up, grabs daughter by the arm and starts to walk out of office. 8:30 AM and girl is loaded.

Mom looks at me and says, “It’s only alcohol.”.

Image credits: sjciske

#15

We had a local discount furniture company with tons of local ads on TV and radio with a huge gimmick by the owner. A very visible local figure. One day while at McD’s the business owner comes in with his family, makes an order, and his little girl goes over to the fountain drink station to fill cups for everyone and spills the entire tray on the floor. The business owner got nasty and went over to slap his daughter in the face in and berate her.

I watched the entire incident from start to finish. Poor girl just couldn’t handle a plastic tray of drinks. She was maybe 7 or 8 years old.

It’s McDonald’s. Fountain drinks spill all the time. It’s a money printing machine for the company. No one needs to champion McDonald’s beverage losses. Disgusting display of violence for a complete accident.

Image credits: Grebnaws

#16

Probably this family that lived behind my grandparents. There was an entire stable of kids that the parents let run free. They stole things, never bathed, and they had black teeth from their enamel rotting off. Their house was a total dumpster, it stank to high hell.

I only knew them because I would go play in the neighborhood. They were free range children in the most literal sense. I don’t think their parents were ever home. Heck I don’t remember them ever going to school either. The older ones raised the younger ones type situation. I know they were part of a clan of sorts with a guy that was treated as a king. The whole thing was bonkers.

Image credits: Bottled_Penguin

#17

I was working in Phoenix, and went  to a gas station in the morning for a donut and some coffee. Two supremely trashy looking ladies were chatting by by the soda fountain, with the most raspiest smokers voices ive ever heard. 

Then an incredibly dirty little girl (as in messed up hair , dirty face, very dirty/stairs clothes) walked up to them with some candy and said she got her breakfast. Neither lady cared. 

Then one opened her jumbo MTN dew mug to fill it , only to find there was stuff still in it. She held it out to the little girl and asked what that was. She took a sip and said “mmmm…. orange juice vodka” and both ladies laughed while the one with the mug just cackled “that’s my girl”. She then just filled up the rest of that mug with mtn dew , not bothering to dump out the old OJ vodka, or more likely her morning breakfast ok vodka. .

Image credits: Rok-SFG

#18

My dad used to let me dog sit at his [drug] dealer's house by myself when I was 12.

Image credits: SofaKingWeTodIt

#19

Kid stole hat of my head. Parents wouldn’t make him give it back and gave out to me when I tried to take it back. The kid then ran away and the parents yelled at me more. I never got my hat back.

Image credits: Zenai10

#20

Once in my state, there was this case about a woman who had a child and she tied him to a metal bed and left him all day long tied to it because he was a bad boy or something like that. She also used to burn the kid with cigarettes and stuff like that… beatings were also usual and the child developed ulcers from being all day long in his feces and urine.
Eventually, a neighbor noticed and told the police and at the time of rescue the child was severely dehydrated and malnourished (we are talking about a 3 to 5-year-old child)
The news got so big it became a national thing

Image credits: Turbulent_Risk9576

#21

Working in visiting at the jail I’m employed by. Mom brought in a two week old baby to meet the father. When she handed the baby to him he said “i don’t want that” and threw the baby on the floor, not dropped, thrown.

We had the medical team rush to help and we called an ambulance for the baby. No idea how that kid is now. This was five years ago.

Image credits: Stumbling_Corgi

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