Guest post - The Most Embarrassing Parenting Moments

The Most Embarrassing Parenting Moments

Some parents make raising a child look easy, but the truth is that it can be hard at times – more often than not, in fact. While we love our children, there are times when they do something in public that makes us just want the ground to swallow us up as we apologise profusely to anyone around us. Issues ranging from lice in children, to bad behaviour, can have us feeling stressed and out of control.

Sometimes it can be hard to discuss this with other parents as you’re ashamed and feel you’ll get judged. This article will look at some embarrassing issues that parents have to deal with and how best to tackle them. The important thing to remember is that public embarrassment is something that all parents have to deal with and these issues are completely normal.

Head Lice

This is never a fun one and all parents have to deal with it at one time or another. It’s a tedious task and there’s that panic moment when you discover lice in one of your child’s hair. Lice in children is one of the most embarrassing things a parent can endure, and one they don’t want to share with other parents as it’s seen to be a sign of dirty hair, even though this is not at all trueⁱ. Lice don’t have preferences when it comes to what hair they choose, so it’s nothing to be embarrassed about at all! In fact, it’s much better to tell other parents and the school so that they can be on high guard and help to cease the infestation.

There are numerous ways to treat lice and get rid of them once and for all. Head lice shampoos and sprays are often easy to use and effective solutions. They help kill lice, but also get rid of nits. This means that you should have no concern about having to catch the eggs once they hatch too.

Chicken pox

Chicken pox is another unavoidable issue, I’m afraid. Again, this is one that most parents have to deal with. Like lice, this can be an embarrassing situation, especially as chicken pox is a lot more visible than something like lice. It may cause other people to squirm and move away, even if they’ve had it before. Interestingly though, chicken pox is often shared. Parents tend to bring their children round to see other children who have chicken pox so that everyone can get it over and done with at a young age. It might be best to do this as chicken pox can become more dangerous if you get it while you’re older, which could result in shingles.

The best treatment is time and rest, but creams like calamine lotion are really useful to use too as they cool the area and offer relief. The spots usually clear up by themselves but it can be a painful process so you’ll definitely need something to soothe the itching and discomfort. You’ll want to keep your skin as comfortable as possible, so avoid any itchy fabrics and stick to cotton and loose clothing. Avoid scratching the spots if you can too. Excessive scratching can lead to long term scars or infected spots. If you really have no control, put mittens or socks over your hands so you don’t scratch. Also, while parents might think it’s a good idea to sponge their child with cool water, this might actually make them very coldⁱⁱ.

Clumsiness

If your child was anything like me growing up, they came home with all sorts of unexplained bumps or bruises. I was forever knocking into stuff and tripping over, and no doubt my parents were very embarrassed when I walked head first into a glass door.

Clumsiness can be really embarrassing for both a child and for a parent, especially when other kids seem to be scoring goals while yours are tripping over laces. Mostly, this is something that your child outgrows, so you just have to wrap them in bubble wrap and hope for the best. The important thing is not to make a big deal out of it if they do fall somewhere they shouldn’t – it’s a common problem with many children being a little bit behind their peers in terms of motor skillsⁱⁱⁱ. If they haven’t grown out of it, it might be something like dyspraxia. This is nothing to be concerned about and there are a lot of different ways that you can treat this. They might just need a bit more attention or training than other children.

Too much honesty

It’s true when they say that ‘kids say the darndest things’, with it most likely being in a public place, where all your friends tend to hear it. This can include publicly asking questions such as ‘where do babies come from’ or a loud remark about someone they see. This issue can be the one that mortifies parents the most, leaving most parents red faced. It’s important not to make it a big deal as this can embarrass your child. Instead, tell them quietly that they shouldn’t have said that, so they know not to make that same mistake again. No doubt though, each parent will have to deal with one or two inappropriate comments from their kids at times. This does, however, make for hilarious stories when your kids are older. Public tantrums fall into this category and it can be difficult not to lose your cool while in public.

Quick fixes, like a brutal telling off, or ignoring them, only get you so far. You might have to be a bit sterner in certain situations, but again, this is something that they’ll grow out of in good time. You’ll have to just be patient, and bear with some embarrassing outbursts.

Go on, share with us your most embarrassing moments of being a parent!

i http://www.aad.org/dermatology-a-to-z/diseases-and-treatments/e---h/head-lice

ii http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Chickenpox/Pages/Treatment.aspx

iii http://www.aafp.org/afp/2002/1015/p1435.html