Bad moms. Who are they? What do they do? For the most part, I’m inclined to believe the only “bad moms” are the ones who abuse or neglect their children—not the ones who let their child watch TV or play on a device.
Will all of us moms mess up at some point? Yup. But I’ll tell you one thing. Before the pandemic, I tried my best to limit TV time. Now—if my son wants to watch Peppa Pig for two hours straight? Sure thing, kid.
Beleaguered moms everywhere tend to agree, and they took to Reddit to share the “bad mom” stuff they do that they are absolutely unapologetic about.
Guess what moms? We’re all in this together. Stick on some Sesame Street and put your feet up.
1.
“I let my kids watch TV. Do I let them watch it for hours on end? No. But sometimes it’s easier to just sit them down in front of Peppa Pig or Daniel Tiger while we get something done. Especially now that daycare is closed and we’re WFH.” — butterfliesfloat
2.
“I let my kid eat fast food. It’s not everyday but truthfully it’s probably about once a week that I get her a happy meal or stop by Little Cesar’s and get a $5 pizza. She’s healthy and I cook most of the time so I don’t feel guilty.” — oneeyefox
3.
“Screen time. So much screen time. And plastic toys! When I was but a naive pregnant woman I swore it’d be all wooden toys that would enrich her mind and very little TV… She watched Frozen twice yesterday and had rice pudding for lunch. Parenting is difficult AF.” — shiveryslinky
4.
“I let my kids say curse words if they stub their toe or something minor, we all start laughing and they forget they are hurt quickly. Once they are 10+ they get a tiny cocktail or wine on holidays or celebrations. I let them watch movies with nudity and sex, not porn, (natural) but not murder (especially kids murdering each other). I let them dress themselves and choose their own hair cuts/colors. I don’t make them eat anything but if they don’t they can only snack on fruit or veggies.” — UFOmama
5.
“When I have a weekday off, I still drop my kid off at daycare for a few hours (same daycare she goes to the other days, around the same kids, with the same teachers, same COVID precautions, etc). I use my free time to go grocery shopping, clean the house, and take a nap. I’m a nicer, more patient mom when I’m not completely exhausted, and my time with the kid is more meaningful when I’m only focused on them instead of household chores. Do I feel a bit guilty about it for not spending every waking moment I can with my little one? Yeah, definitely. Am I going to stop? Nope. Call me a bad mom. IDGAF.” — Sun_shine24
6.
“I let my kid drink juice sometimes. I don’t think juice is inherently bad, but the way some people absolutely FREAK about not giving their kids juice is beyond me. My kid likes apple juice. Big whoop.” — AmongWilderFlowers
7.
“My kid’s got a TV in her room solely to watch Bob Ross at bedtime. She’s allowed to cuss as long as she doesn’t use words as weapons. She gets way too much screen time. Gets ‘chocolate milk’ (Carnation instant breakfast) at bedtime for the extra calories and protein. As long as she’s in bed and quiet, we don’t actually care whether she chooses to read all night long rather than sleep. She teases us, gives advice and she is treated as an equal in the home as much as possible. We’re not her friends, but we try to respect her autonomy when we can.” — Oliver_Green
8.
“Ok none of these are bad. Every single one has the ‘but not all the time’ attached to it which implies balance. So I’m going to be honest and admit that since working from home alone with my 8 year old 28 days a month, while trying to help him with virtual school – I let him play Minecraft for like 5 hours straight. I have meetings and work to do and I’m stressed and I suck at this. Sometimes I forget to feed him. He yells at me for using the F word. I have zero balance with my bad mom traits.” — feastday
9.
“I let them run around all day in pajamas if they want to. I usually draw the line at leaving the house like that. I wouldn’t, either, so I feel like that is still a decent boundary, I want them dressed when we leave… After age 2 that is. Before age 2, as long as you don’t have a goose egg jn your pants, and ya know, you’re wearing pants, let’s go.” — fairfielder9082
10.
“I don’t make them share. I know — shocking!” — CantChooseAFandom69