'Mom decided I needed a 'wake up call'': Wannabe grandma secretly signs up her 30-year-old daughter for a "Parental Awareness Retreat" in an attempt to make her want kids of her own, ends up alienating her instead

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Nov 15, 2025 5:00 PM EST

Add this to the list of conversational no-nos for the holidays: Forcing your children to have children of their own. Oof.

Many parents in their 60s start having dreams of grandchildren running around the house. Perhaps bored after their own family has moved out as independent adults, the thought of occasionally having little nibblets pitter-pattering around the house, eating sweets before dinner, and getting the best gifts from their Meemaw and Poopaw, sounds quite lovely. And yet the current generation of 20-30 year olds has never been more averse to having children. For any number of reasons, whether it's financial or preferential, you can never force a family member to procreate just because you want to have a new relative. It sounds insane when you boil it down like that, I know, but it's far too common that wannabe grandmas and grandpas put the pressure on like that. Especially during the holidays, when you're trapped at the dinner table, they seem to think it's a great time to corner you on the subject of child-rearing. 

They say things like, "You should start having kids by now… Clocks ticking," and then quickly ask for the cranberry sauce. This pushy wannabe grandma took things even further than that, signing up her 30-year-old daughter for a parental awareness retreat in an attempt to sway her childfree decision. 

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  • Cheezburger Image 10575073280
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  • My mom secretly applied me for a "Parenthood Retreat" because I'm 30 and "running out of time"
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  • So apparently my mom decided I needed a "wake up call." Last week I get this official-looking email congratulating me on being selected for a "Parenthood Awareness Weekend." I
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  • thought it was spam until I saw my full name and her email as a reference. Turns out she literally signed me up for a 3- day retreat where people
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  • Cheezburger Image 10575073024
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  • "explore the joys and challenges of parenting." I called her immediately. She goes, "Sweetie, you might meet someone there who'll change your mind. " I asked if
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  • she'd appreciate it if I signed her up for a silent monastery retreat so she could "explore the joys of shutting up." She hung up. Now my whole
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  • family's mad at me for "being rude," but I'm the one who just got ambushed into fake parenting camp. Should I send them all the kids' schedule and tell them to show up instead?
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  • Mob Segment Have your local funeral directors mail her out some funeral plans. Gotta get these things sorted out in time.
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  • Crazy_Initiative2815. Sign her email up for elderly home plans lets see how she likes it
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  • WowOwIO That's my favorite thing about families. X does something unreasonable, rude, and quite frankly crosses many lines.
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  • Y responds. The family, "Y, how could you do that to X?! That was horrible!"
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  • WiselyWorded • over 40-no regrets I swear, half the posts in the group make me glad I've cut off most of my family.
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  • MeButMuchCuter ⚫ That's both hilarious and grounds for going fully no contact. Woman needs to go to a weekend seminar about minding her own fucking bees wax.
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  • FuturePurple7802 ⚫ I am sorry but this made me laugh so much. How is this even a real thing?? I mean I do believe you, but at the same time... I can't believe people are so weird that someone would come up with such a camp. Wow your mom.... Your response was bravo.
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  • Let the family stay mad, they have two choices: to continue being mad or forget about it, in either case they leave you in peace for a while.
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  • Sitcom_kid I'm sorry but the "joys of shutting up" had me laughing hysterically
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  • WrestlingWom Childfree since 1981 Did she pay for it? Because what a way to spend money on nothing. Contact the people behind it and spin a lie about how some cruel person you don't
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  • have contact with is signing you up for a bunch of bullshit like their camp, and that you would appreciate it if they could put you on a blacklist or something so it won't happen again.
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