parenting

It's normal to compare ourselves to others. Especially when it feels like half our lives are spent on social media. It always seems as though there's always someone who is more skinny, more well-travelled, or better at tweeting. The latter gets us on the regular. For some reason it is such a struggle to compose funny, astute, or zany tweets that compare to all the creative wordsmiths on the site. At some point, we learned to stop trying and just enjoy witty, short and sweet tidbits like these. It's more fun that way.

Someone tweeted about their daughter making a pretty good chunk of cash off her lemonade stand by assuming no one wanted change back when they'd hand her larger bills. What was probably meant to be a funny little innocuous anecdote quickly turned into a spicy Twitter thread full of parenting criticisms, political comments and arguments over lemonade stand etiquette. At this point in the world of social media toxicity, we should expect no less from an internet dumpster like Twitter, but even so, people went extra off the rails with this one. Sure, we have no idea what kind of dad this guy is. Maybe he's teaching his daughter how to scam strangers out of their life savings and this was his way of bragging. More likely, the kid was just being a typical kid and hopefully learned some lessons through the experience.

Keep scrolling to see how this dad's tweet triggered Twitter into full-blown debate mode. 

There are many reasons people find themselves turning to memes. Sometimes it's because we're in the middle of a perpetual doomscroll session, avoiding our bleak reality. Other times it's because we need a humorous pick-me-up. At the end of the day, though, we don't think you need to an excuse to enjoy funny memes and tweets. The internet is your proverbial oyster and everyone should be able to indulge in its delicious rewards. Hopefully galleries like this make that indulgence a little easier. 

Listen. We're not the kind of people who would outright say that having children is a mistake. We're all about choice. If you want to be responsible for another living creature until they turn 18, or until they move out of your basement at age 40, that's up to you. But for gods sake, we need to do something about unhinged "Mommy Facebook groups". Thanks to r/ShitMomGroupsSay, we now know that many of them are toxic communities that foster ignorance, entitlement, and a whole lot of Karen-like behavior.But we'd be lying if we said their cringey and crazy posts weren't entertaining. 

As the internet mourns the impending death of Yahoo Answers, our favorite advice forum turned meme goldmine, it would be remiss of us to neglect the fact that there are several sites with similarly unhinged question askers and answerers. While Reddit is an obvious example, Quora really gives it a run for its money with its users oversharing, intolerance, and, of course, all the overbearing parents. While we hope these people get the help (reality checks) that they need, we're more than happy to enjoy their unbridled insanity from the safety of our phones and laptops.

Tiny terrors. Maniacal minions. Kids, while sometimes a total blessing, give us all a run for our money and make insane asylums seem like a sexy vacation. At their worst, their meltdowns can bring us to tears. At their best, they melt our hearts. If we're lucky, they make us laugh with their histrionic tendencies, creative threats, and inventive spelling. This gallery of snot-nosed gold includes all of the above - and might help you laugh away the pain of being a parent.

Parenting ain't easy. Between the oppressive costs of healthcare and childcare, and the effect that raising kids has on one's sanity, sometimes it feels like a losing game. And then your kid does something magical, cute, or hilarious, and it all seems worth it. These highs and lows are all well-represented in this highly relatable batch of memes for every kind of parent.

It's no secret that kids can be, well, insanely dumb. But a lot of the time, it's not their fault. We live in a bit of a backwards word where idioms can never be taken at face value, and language makes little to no sense. The lack of logic can be difficult for young brains. Hell, it can be difficult for anyone who is forced to learn the English language. But it's way more funny when children are the butt of the joke. 

Twitter user @sumerianbby managed to serve up many such tales in a very inspiring and very funny Twitter thread. After sharing an anecdote about thinking their father would die on the expiration date of his ID, other people felt compelled to share their own stupid moments from their childhoods. From parents convincing their kids that Swiss cheese is made by hiccuping cows, to thinking rehydrating in the car is drinking and driving, this thread is jam-packed with hilarity. And we've picked out all the best of these moments just for you. 

The world is a vampire. And with all the incels and Jordan Petersons out there, it's easy to worry about future generations. Many parents worry about bullying, bigotry, addiction, and even violent acts such as school shootings. The internet has made many of these ills a lot more real - and a lot more scary. 

Beside celebrities doing charity and making Instagram or Twitter posts about the latest hot button social issue, it doesn't feel like there are many role models young men (and women) can look up to. But it's important to seek out these people that instill us with hope with their big hearts and admirable values. The Facebook group Wholesome Masculinity Spotting helps to put the spotlight on men who do just that. The group features great fathers, open-minded men in closed-minded places, and dudes who are unafraid to be goofy or emotional. These are people we can all look up to. Just try not to tear up too much while you scroll. It's a little late in the season to blame the waterworks on allergies. 

Parenting is a lot of things, but it sure as hell ain't glamorous. These texts manage to capture the laughs, the exhaustion, and the poopy truths of raising children. We just hope they don't trigger you too much.

Some of us may not want to remember the dumb things we would do as children. Whether it was peeing into the vents of the family home (Sorry, mom) or harboring the thought that women don't poop, kids really are apt to doing (and thinking) the darndest things. The r/KidsAreFuckingStupid subreddit is full of these sorts of anecdotes, submitted by people who are marveling at their own childhood stupidity, frustrated and bemused parents, and people who may have seen a tweet they couldn't help but share. And we've got a bunch of the forum's best tidbits right here to share with you. 

Aging sucks for a lot of reasons. Having to pay bills. Work 40 hours a week. Take care of a family. You get wrinkles, grey hair, and probably some annoying memory loss to boot. Names become harder to remember, memories begin to mix together. You know who doesn't have to worry about that? Kids. Kids have the most incredible memories, often at the disadvantage of their weary parents. Twitter user @toddedillard shared one such instance of obnoxiously vivid memory yesterday. It seems that two years ago he burned a single side of his daughter's quesadilla, and she refuses to let him live it down. The tweet inspired other parents to share their own struggles with their kids' impeccable recollection skills. While it must be frustrating to have your child constantly wielding "the receipts," these anecdotes are pretty damn entertaining.

How is it that so many dads end up developing the same corny, pun-based sense of humor? Maybe as life gets more complicated and tiresome by having kids and working all the time, parents eventually just enjoy the simpler things in life, like grilling and telling dumb jokes. Whatever the reason, we're certainly not complaining. Dad humor will always have a warm place in our hearts. And whether you're a dad yourself or just an appreciator of cheeseball humor, you'll be LOLing all the way through this ridiculous collection of dad memes.

As we grow older we start to understand why parents occasionally lie to their kids; 1.) because it's funny as hell, and 2.) because sometimes you just don't have the patience to explain things to someone who will either not fully understand or throw a temper tantrum over it. 

These poor Twitter users are describing the ridiculous lies their parents told them as kids!

It can be challenging to get along with overbearing parents, especially when they're overbearing well into your adulthood. But on the bright side, at least they can certainly provide us with some serious entertainment! After you scroll down below, make sure you check out some hilarious parenting memes!