People Share Some Brilliant, Unethical Parenting Hacks
Okay, parents. What is the most unethical or underhanded thing you’ve done to trick your kid into doing what you wanted? We’re talking little white lies, maybe even some whoppers….
Okay, parents. What is the most unethical or underhanded thing you've done to trick your kid into doing what you wanted? We're talking little white lies, maybe even some whoppers. Perhaps you've convinced your kids that broccoli gives them superpowers or that the ice cream truck only plays music when it's out of ice cream. Parents on Reddit are spilling the beans on the sneakiest tricks they've pulled to keep their little ones in line. So, let’s take a look at some of the highlights.
Unethical Parenting Hacks
Right out of the gate, parents shared their “unethical” parenting hacks. Some of them seem quite brilliant, actually. One parent shared their secret about getting the truth out of their kids. “If they lie to me, their tongue will turn purple,” they shared. They continued to say, the hesitation when you ask them to show you their tongue if they’ve lied.” Be warned that this same person said the “hack” was ruined when their 3-year-old had all their siblings sit in front of a mirror and tell lies, while they checked each other’s tongues.
Many upvoted this comment from a parent as brilliant. “My kid went up 4 reading levels over Covid lockdown - everyone thought I was really putting in a big effort with his reading,” they wrote. So, what was their trick? They said all they did was turn on TV subtitles.
Another parent kicked the TV subtitle hack up a notch. “When it's past their bedtime, Dad changes the language on the TV to Spanish. When the kids act confused, he says it ‘must be because you're tired.’”
This one seems a bit harsh but it worked. Apparently, this person’s nephew refused to vacuum, so they told him that vacuuming kept houses from getting haunted. And that’s why haunted houses are “so dusty.”
Someone used the thread as an opportunity to call out throwback children’s ads. They said, “Just look at ads for children's 'medicine' from the late 1800s to early 1900s to get the most unethical parenting tips imaginable. No matter what problem your kid had, there was some blend of opiates, cocaine, alcohol, cannabis, radium, and random plant extracts for sale guaranteed to fix them right up.”
Several parents mentioned the clock-changing hack. One person said their mom would change the clock to show their bedtime and say, “Oh, ten more minutes til 8:30, see?” Who knows, this may come in handy over the summer.
Check out the complete thread here.
