'So brave of you to feed your kids chicken fingers!': 25 Backhanded compliments that surprised parents

Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor

Mar 8, 2024 11:00 AM EST

Parents can get oddly competitive about their kids, and they have some backhanded compliments to dole out to parents they're intimidated by.

They say it's not productive to compare your kid to others, but it's hard not to. If all the other babies are walking but your kid is still crawling, you might worry that they're behind. Other babies start talking very early on, while others don't speak in full sentences until they're two or three years old. It's understandable why parents would be concerned about these gaps.

Knowing how hard parenting is, you'd think other parents would try to be understanding. But instead, some project their own insecurities onto other parents or their kids. It turns out that a lot of Moms and Dads out there have had people talk down to them about their kiddos.

One of the most common topics were food choices and screen time. Some people are very strict about one or both of these things. They then feel obliged to point out that little Johnny is chomping on a handful of potato chips instead of seaweed sheets. They don't know what that kid eats in a day, but they're happy to make a snap judgment based off one little thing. Other parents brag about their kids having zero screen time… but if their kid was handed an iPad, they'd totally figure out how to use it in just a few minutes.

Check out all of the wild things these parents have heard. Then, read about the "last straw" that led this overworked employee to start working just five hours per day.