According to a 2022 survey by the Pew Research Center, about one in four married or cohabiting parents feel judged by people they interact with on online groups, with 7% claiming they experience this always or very often.

And the subreddit ‘Insane Parents‘ is probably responsible for a fair share of the pie. However, once you scroll through this internet community, it becomes hard to blame them.

There’s no shortage of moms posting their anti-vaxxer rants on Facebook and overprotective dads who want to forbid their kids from dating for as long as they’re alive. So someone has to call them out before they convince anyone that such behavior is acceptable, right?

#1 Dumped For Having Red Hair

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#2 Parents That Make Fun Of The Hobbies Of His Kids Are Trash

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A problem that ‘Insane Parents’ members face is that they are sometimes accused of faking their posts.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the sub is that the stories told rely on screenshots (often text messages between parent and child).

This leads to a strange dynamic where posters not only have to “prove” their experiences, but their struggles are also gamified into small, digestible pieces, the most surprising of which get upvoted.

#3 I’m 25, I Have Schizophrenia, And Have Zero Support From My Mom

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#4 Another Found In R/S**tmomgroupssay …

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#5 I Synced My Calendar With My Mum And Forgot I Have My Birth Control Implant Replacement Date Marked 3 Years From Now. She Saw It And Texted Me This While I Was At Work. I’m 20

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Speaking to VICE over Reddit messages, the moderators of ‘Insane Parents’ said the high number of screenshots is simply a consequence of the fact that a lot of communication now takes place via text

“As such, there is more opportunity to display insane parenthood with a screenshot,” they explained. “It’s the easiest thing to post.”

#6 I Think We Should Make Leashes Mandatory For Everyone Under 15!

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#7 My Parents Did Not Like Me Going Out To Get A Vaccine. Came Back To This

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#8 On A Post About Another Parent Selling Her Kid’s TV Because She “Can’t Act Right”

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#9 My Friend Hasn’t Spoken To His Mother In Months. She Finds Out He’s Living With His Girlfriend. He Also Shares Some Exciting News

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Despite a few negative messages from trolls and the occasional request to prove the screenshots weren’t faked, many users think the subreddit is incredibly understanding, with most people helping to validate their feelings.

“Our sub is first and foremost a support sub,” the moderators said.

They believe the community is a place where teenagers can come and “know that the abuse they’ve suffered is not a normal experience”.

#10 This Woman Constantly Photoshops Her Daughter’s Body To Look Like This. She’s E I G H T

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#11 Wtf Is Wrong With People

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#12 Who Goes To Disney World Just To Make Their Kid’s Life Miserable

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#13 My Father Tracking Me While I’m On A Date

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The good news is that when KidsHealth.org and TIME for Kids surveyed over 9,000 kids ages 8 to 14, 67% said they get along well, or pretty well, with their parents. And that’s not all. 85% of them said they have fun with their parents, and 79% said they feel close to their parents.

#14 (15f) Parents Took My Antidepressants Because I Slept Through My Alarms… I Don’t Even Know What To Do Anymore

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#15 My Mom’s Response When I Came Out To Her. Haven’t Talked To Them For Two Weeks Now

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#16 My Mum Is Abusing Our Brand New Security System

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#17 I Took My Clothes Off While I Was In The Shower And After I Came Out, I Saw That My Father Had Went Into My Room And Taken A Picture Of My Panties And Sent It To My Mother Without My Consent. I’m 20. I Can Clean Up After Myself. I Did It Immediately As I Stepped Out Of The Shower. Wtf

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Furthermore, even if children get into an argument with a parent, it’s not like they immediately mess up their relationship. Most kids — more than 60% — said they usually take a little time and eventually things go back to normal. Some kids said that they make up quickly (28% of younger kids and 18% of older kids.)

It’s great if you can forgive (and be forgiven) quickly and settle things within the family and without the need to search for support on the internet.

#18 And Boomers Wonder Why Their Kids Don’t Like Them

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#19 Child Endangerment Is So Quirky

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#20 Parents Starve 6 Year Old To Death By Keeping Him Inside A Closet For A Month

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#21 This. Just… This

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#22 Mother Impersonated Me To Bofa To Remove $1500 From My Account Of My Awarded Scholarship Money As Punishment For Her Ex Husband Not Paying For Her Vacation

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#23 My Parents To A Tee

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#24 She’s Literally Killing Her Son. This Page Is Full Of Insane Parents Thinking They Know More Than The Doctors

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#25 The Sheer Nerve Of Not Wanting To Die An Early, Preventable Death! Disgusting

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#26 I Guess Some People Never Learn That Their Kids Are Separate People Who Deserve Autonomy Smh

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#27 You Aren’t Stressing Hard Enough To Put Your Kid In An Actual School Though

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#28 Mom Just Asked Me For 600$ When I Work A Minimum Wage Job Then Tells Me To Stop Spending ???

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#29 My Mother, After She Kicked Me Out When She Found Letters My Girlfriend Wrote For Me (We’re Both Girls)

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#30 Jesus Christ

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#31 Stop Talking About Your Children’s Genitalia, You Weird Bastard

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#32 I Thought I Found An Airtight Escape From My Abusive Family In The Form Of A Great Job On The Opposite Coast. Guess Not. Ploy #397866 To Keep Me From Leaving: Unannounced Vacation That Conveniently Starts On The Same Day As My Job!

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#33 This Mom “Playing Chicken” With Her Kids And An Suv

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#34 Imagine Encouraging Or Even Allowing Your Children To Dress Up Like This On Halloween

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#35 ‘ethnic Stench’

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#36 Is She Overburdening Her?

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#37 It Sure Is A Mystery

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#38 Twitter User Finds Their Dad Has Been Using A Tracker To Track Them After They Had Moved Out Of Their (Abusive) Household

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#39 Sending Her Daughter Away To A Church For A Year Because She Wants A College Education

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#40 I Remembered This And Thought It Would Fit Here

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#41 I’m Sorry But That’s Pathetic

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#42 Let’s Hope He Didn’t Get His PC With His Own Savings

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#43 “Mommy Moment”

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#44 (In University) Parents Track My Location And Knows I Didn’t Go To Class (Because I Had Already Turned In The Project We Were Working On And Didn’t Need To Work In Studio)

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#45 Imagine Being Grounded For Being Considerate

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#46 I’m On A School Trip… On My Way To The School

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#47 I’m The Only Kid In The Family Who Didn’t Become A Doctor. My Mom Forced My Dad To Post For My Graduation Since He Always Brags About My Doctor And Dentist Siblings. This Is What I Got Lol

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#48 I’m Going To An Iron Maiden Concert. I’m Also Almost 30

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#49 What??

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#50 Gotta Love My Homophobic Dad. I Wasn’t Even Intentionally Making An Lgbtq+ Design, Lol. Just Wanted A Rainbow

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