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!
