11 Parents Who Took Boundaries Too Far

Some parents act like boundaries are just suggestions—and the results can be awkward and unbelievable. Get ready for stories that prove adults sometimes need more parenting than the kids do.

• Last weekend, I was grocery shopping and I was walking down the aisle when all of a sudden a child that was running between the aisles bumped into me. I guess he must have been around 8 years old.
  Neither one of us fell or anything, but for the child, it was quite the bump. He stumbled backwards a few steps. He looks up and says, “Sorry, mister.’’ Just as I was about to say, “It’s okay, buddy,” his mother shows up behind him, grabs him by the wrists, and leads him away. I hear her say, "Don’t apologise, it’s his mistake, he didn’t see you.’’
  This shocked me. This child was behaving perfectly as any polite human being would, yet his mother is steering him towards rude behavior. © alii66E / Reddit

• I used to work in retail. Was walking through the baby aisle to go on my break. A woman and her daughter, maybe 5 or 6, were walking ahead of me. Little girl bumped into a rack and knocked a bunch of little clothes off onto the floor. She reached down to start picking them up. I was just about to tell her, “No, it’s ok, I got this,” when her mom yanks her away and says, “Don’t clean that up, it’s someone’s job!” I hope that girl grows up and continues to be polite and thoughtful, and whoever adult taught her that has more custody than her mom. © FiftyShadesOfPikmin / Reddit

• A month ago, my brother asked me to watch his kids for a few hours. I (a) already had a packed schedule, (b) had been feeling drained lately with barely any time to relax, and © knew he had two energetic kids who would need constant attention. I didn’t want to do it, and I told him I was overwhelmed with everything going on in my life.
  Last weekend, we got together. He treated me to a nice lunch, a relaxing foot massage, and even took me to an art exhibit. It was a great day, and we had a lot of fun. He asked how I was doing, and I opened up about some of the things that have been weighing on me. We shared a lot of laughs and really enjoyed the time together.
  The next morning, I woke up to a text from him saying if I could still babysit his kids. I was livid. I felt like he treated me just to ask for a favor. © Emma / Bright Side

• I was having a small birthday dinner with friends at a restaurant, and when the cake arrived with lit candles, everyone started singing. Out of nowhere, a mom from a nearby table walks over with her toddler and says, “Let him blow out the candles, he loves doing that.” I thought she was joking, but she was dead serious.
  I was caught off guard, so my friend stepped in and said, "It’s her birthday. The mom actually scoffed and said, “So? He’s just a kid. Don’t be rude.” I blew out my own candles, and she walked away muttering that I ruined her evening. Sorry, but your kid is not entitled to hijack someone else’s celebration. © Annual-Strength-751 / Reddit

• My girlfriend and I don’t have kids, so we have extra “free time,” as we always get told by my cousin, who has 4 kids.
  She had been joking around lately and saying we should take care of the children, as she has booked a cruise with her new boyfriend. We didn’t pay any attention to it, as it sounded absurd and just laughed along with her.
  At 7 am in the morning, we heard some knocking on the door. We knew it wouldn’t be the postman, as they don’t arrive that early, and we weren’t expecting any visitors.
  I go down to check who it is and see my cousin’s 4 kids standing out there in the cold, mother nowhere in sight. I open the door and bring them in because it’s freezing outside, and they had no jackets on. I asked where their mother is. They said she told us that you would take care of us while she is on her cruise, so we took the bus and came to your house. I couldn’t believe my eyes and ears. So I called her immediately, and her phone was off. Called her new boyfriend, and his phone went to voicemail. I called my aunt, and she said that my cousin had told her I agreed to take care of the kids. She didn’t even have the courtesy to drop them off and made them catch the bus on a cold winter day. Thinking of calling child services at this point. © Fxlearner / Reddit

• I agreed to watch my cousin’s 6-year-old for an hour, but the kid is a nightmare. After the hour passed, I still hadn’t heard from her. I called, and she casually mentioned she was planning to spend the night out and wouldn’t come until tomorrow. I was so angry that I dressed her, took her out, and texted my cousin that if she didn’t pick her up soon, I would leave her in the park. She came over immediately but accused me of being heartless and non-supportive 🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️ © Kate / Bright Side

• Booked the business because it guaranteed the middle seat would stay empty. The other passenger in the aisle seat was a man in his 40s or 50s. His wife and son came in, asking me to switch (business for economy) so they could all sit there. Then they told me that if I didn’t switch with the wife, the son would sit in the middle at least, reasoning that I didn’t need an empty seat next to me and claiming the stewardess allowed it. Turned out, she said it was possible if the other passenger agreed, to which they replied that I was family, so I would 100% agree.
  I didn’t budge, the son and wife had to stay in the economy, and his father spent almost 4 hours muttering passive-aggressive comments. Whenever I took off my headphones, he was still going... © rask0ln / Reddit

• I have automatic sprinklers that go off every morning at 6 am. Been the same schedule for 3 years since I moved in. Yesterday morning, I was getting ready for work when my neighbor stormed over, banging on my door.
  Apparently, her 8-year-old left his bike on my lawn overnight, and my sprinklers got it wet. She’s demanding I pay to “fix” it because the water damaged the seat or something. I told her, “Maybe don’t leave your stuff on other people’s property?”
  She goes, “Well, you should have warned us about the sprinklers!” Lady, what?? It’s MY yard.
  She threatened to call the cops, and I said, “Go ahead.” She’s still giving me dirty looks every time I leave the house. © DifficultShower226 / Reddit

• It was the afternoon, and the bus was full. I was sitting in a seat by the aisle when that pregnant woman stepped onto the bus. She told me she needed my seat. No polite question, no please, no hello, just the demand to give up my seat. I explained to her that I had a disability and that I had struggled standing, and that I’d rather not be in pain. That woman began calling me rude and saying that I was trying to harm her and her baby by refusing to get up.
  Some other woman then offered her seat. When I got up at my stop, she made a snide remark about how I was surely faking and that I could walk just fine. © Ol_ymp / Reddit

• I had a mom email me and ask me to refrain from talking about cancer in class, as his grandmother was currently battling. He told her I was discussing cancer in class.
  I racked my brain, wondering how that even came up while we learned about Colombia, but then it hit me.
  A kid asked if he could use the restroom.
  I replied, “Yes, you can, Sir.” © EnvironmentalAge9202 / Reddit

• My brother surprised me with a trip to Scotland for my birthday. Due to tight finances, it was just the two of us. He is married and has two kids. His wife had said she was happy for me and didn’t mind holding down the fort for a week while we’re on the trip. She and I have never been close, and quite frankly, we just tolerate each other for the sake of keeping the peace.
  The trip was amazing, and I loved every second of it. Imagine my surprise when I get a text three days after coming back from my SIL telling me off and calling me rude and ungrateful cause I didn’t send her a text thanking her for “babysitting” on her own and having to do everything around her house for a whole week while I had fun with her husband (yup, that’s exactly how she worded it). © Relevant_Artichoke24 / Reddit

The lines of respect and honesty matter everywhere in life. One woman thought her relationship was solid until she overheard her husband secretly talking to his mother. It shattered her trust and made her question everything she thought she knew about her marriage. Read her story here.