Kids give you happiness, hope, and an excuse to be a total d*******g, apparently. The subreddit r/ThinkOfTheChildren invites people to share stories of parents making outrageous demands and using their offspring as a way to guilt others into compliance, and turns out, there are plenty of them. Indecent lingerie stores, hot forest sanctuaries, and greedy Facebook Marketplace sellers, watch out! These moms and dads are ready to sue and leave bad reviews to protect the little ones from your rules and logic.
#1 UNO Reverse
#2 More Christmases Ruined
According to Bruce Y. Lee, M.D., M.B.A., Professor of Health Policy and Management at the City University of New York (CUNY), guilt-trippers employ numerous strategies to warp reality and make you feel bad.
A classic is blaming you for things that you didn’t do. When they insist that you put them last on your priority list, they are trying to make you feel pressured to do even more for them just to further prove yourself.
Then there’s flipping the script, which takes blaming to a whole other level. Say the person did something quite bad to you, such as reneging on a promise, backstabbing you, abandoning you during a time of need, or even stealing something from you. Instead of expressing remorse, apologizing, and making amends, the guilt-tripper turns the tables on you by saying something along the lines of, “I had no choice because you didn’t check in enough to see how I was doing and pay attention to my needs.”
#3 Please Pay My Electric Bill
#4 I Teach Swimming To Kids For Free Even Though I Was Offered Money. Mombie Demands That I Have To Teach Her Son Exclusively. And To Give Her The Money Offered As I Don’t Need It
#5 A Place To Laugh At Parents Demanding Things For Their Kids
They also can seem hellbent on not letting something go. Once you’ve inevitably made some kind of mistake while interacting with them because, you know, you are human, the guilt-tripper may hold on to it and keep bringing up your “shortcomings” when they need you to comply. Lee calls it a debt for which no payment will ever be enough.
Exaggerating the impact. The guilt-tripper can also blow whatever happened completely out of proportion, making a minor issue seem like the end of the world. They may declare that life will never be the same because of what you did, leaving you wondering whether you somehow insulted not only them personally but all of their family, relatives, pets, and future descendants. This “move” seems to be particularly popular among entitled parents who weaponize their kids.
#6 They Are Being Watched
#7 Military Spouse Entitlement
#8 You’re The Reason I’m Late To Pick Up My Kid
#9 Walmart Ruined My Child’s Xmas
Ascribing ill intent. The guilt-tripper might insist that you did something deliberately or out of malice when you did not, saying, “You wanted me to fail” or “You are getting joy out of this happening.”
Playing the victim. They may also try to make you feel guilty about doing anything other than protecting them like a little lamb.
#10 Oop Barely Dated This Woman For 3 Days
#11 Autistic Triplets Need 30lbs Of Legos
#12 From Choosing Beggar
#13 An Oldie But A Goodie
One-upping your misfortune. Relationships aren’t supposed to be competitions, but when you are in a tough situation, the guilt-tripper may claim that his or her situation is at least just as bad, but more likely even worse.
Reminding you of how much he or she has done for you. This is the look-at-what-I’ve-done-for-you-so-you-should-do-more-for-me argument. Again, keeping score in any relationship that’s not based on a basketball court doesn’t help build trust, which is why those who keep score tend to also exaggerate their input. The guilt-tripper may also simultaneously devalue what others are doing for you and make the “‘I’m the only one who is really helping you” case.
#14 Making Yourself Look Pretty Bad Here
#15 Fb Think Of The Children
#16 For A $60 Table
#17 Never Knew Maui Had A Hands On Butterfly Tour
“All of these tactics can really trip you up, leaving you with anxiety and self-doubt if you aren’t fully aware of what the guilt-tripper is doing,” Lee said. “Guilt-tripping can be like taking a Brillo pad to the trust needed for a healthy relationship.
“Therefore, once you spot any guilt-tripping tactics, emphasize to the guilt-tripper how such tactics aren’t constructive … The guilt-tripper needs to recognize, admit, and stop such behavior. However, if the guilt-tripper tries to guilt-trip you for calling out the guilt-tripping, then maybe it’s time to make a trip right out of the relationship.”
#18 I Guess The Parent Wants The Shirt More Than The Kid
#19 Steinway For Cheap?
#20 My Daughter Needs Yarn
#21 Think Of My Child, He Can’t Possibly Be Forced To Wear A Seatbelt!
#22 Cave Ghost
#23 My Son Is Hitting Himself Because Of You
#24 Good Grief
#25 Miles Of White Sand
#26 Good Ol’ Of
#27 Daughter Musk Have A Tesla
#28 Being Sick On A Boat Is A Great Cure
#29 Reporting To Who
#30 Are The Kids Getting The Designer Stuff, Or The Parent?
#31 Meirl
#32 The Nerve Of This Toy Drive!
#33 My Baby!
#34 Shame
#35 I Have 2 Kids So I Can’t Tip
#36 This Is The Recipe’s Fault Because
#37 Rude Lions
#38 Good Grief
#39 Something Funny
#40 Hotels Must Childproof Rooms
#41 Imagine If The Child Was Injured
#42 Taking A Baby Into A Monkey Forest Is A Great Idea
#43 Doctor
#44 Lets Sue Disney
#45 How Dare Disneyland Traumatize My Child?!?!
#46 Learn Tolerance
#47 Princess And The Frog Review
#48 Satanic
#49 Ayce Hot Pot
#50 She’s Just A Child
#51 Please Work For Me For Free Because My Kids Need It
#52 It’s A Bar
#53 I Want 70% Off For My Child’s 1st Birthday, Which She Will Totally Remember
#54 A Non-Review For A Change
#55 A Takeout-Only Restaurant (Not A Public Restroom)
#56 Fb Drama
#57 LOL
#58 If The Casino Says So
#59 Let’s Build An Elevator
#60 The Entitlement To Other People’s Stuff
#61 Liar Liar
#62 Heavily Discriminated
#63 Poor Parenting, But Sure, Blame The Hotel
#64 Hot Latte
#65 You Want To Punch An Employee’s Face?
#66 Too Hot For Animals To Come Out
#67 How Could You Possibly Suggest That My Girl Wear Boy Clothes
#68 Red Flag
#69 How Do You Drown From A Leak
#70 Same As Racial Discrimination
#71 How Much Does It Cost?
#72 LOL
#73 My Personal Favorite
#74 My Child Is Traumatized For Life
#75 Only The Best For My Granddaughter
#76 Lawsuit Waiting To Happen
#77 Zipline Not Fun
#78 If The Kid Pulls A Cat Tail And Gets Scratched
#79 Your Kids Aren’t The Center Of Everyone’s World
#80 Trampoline Park Must Accommodate My Child
#81 Pinball/Video Arcade Won’t Accommodate Autistic Child Sensitive To Noise
#82 I Know The Rules
#83 Pretty Please
#84 T.t
#85 Age Discrimination
#86 1 Sign Not Good Enough
#87 Just Stupidity! (Translated From My Native Language)
#88 Pretty Please
#89 Poor Single Mother Got A Free Car. How Will Her Child Survive?
#90 Never Seen Someone Ask For A Bigger Tip
#91 Write Your Name On A List
#92 Stop Promising Your Kids Stuff You Don’t Have
#93 Law Abiding
#94 Is It For You Or For Your Kid?
#95 I Can’t Remember If I Posted This LOL
#96 Pretty Clear To Me…
#97 The Mouse Doesn’t Come Out
#98 I Loved The Deep End
#99 Important To Note Their Daughter Was A Premature Baby
#100 Are We Thinking Of The Same “Frozen” Or Am I Missing Something Here
#101 Moana Parent’s Review
#102 A Pub
#103 Their Minds Will Be Corrupted
#104 They Were Trapped
#105 Dino
#106 Think Of The Statue Children
#107 Extra Sugar = Ruined Cookies
#108 Ruined Two Kid’s Lives
#109 Adult Kid?
#110 Can’t Pay
#111 Sigh
