Parenting is not an easy job and we all have different parenting techniques and may subscribe to different schools of thought.
It’s not unusual if you don’t see eye to eye with other parents’ ways of doing things and you know that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but there are some parents out there we can’t help but just love to hate!
1. Complain Queen
This mum grumbled throughout the whole nine months of her pregnancy, she whined about the delivery, she laments about how her baby cries/ feeds/ sleeps/ poops too much, she bellyaches about parenthood, and she gripes about why the sky is blue.
Downside: It is exhausting to be around her because she is so negative all the time and doesn’t seem to be able to see the bright side of things or be grateful for what she is blessed with in her life.
Upside: At least she’ll do you a favour by letting you know which baby products to avoid like the plague or which eating establishments are not family-friendly when she complains about them to you.
2. Mummy Chain-smoker
She was a heavy smoker before she got pregnant and frankly you’re not 100% certain whether she stopped during her pregnancy (for the sake of her baby’s health, we sure hope she did!), but you can always spot her pushing the baby stroller with one hand while holding a lit cigarette in the other.
Downside: She’s always stopping for smoke breaks while you’re out on playdates together and even though she tries to blow her smoke in the other direction away from your kids, you still somehow ending up smelling like an ashtray when you get home.
Upside: In comparison, she makes you feel a lot less guilty about your chocolate addiction.
3. Mrs Show-off
You get it, her child scored top in his class, he won first place in his school’s swimming competition, and the other day he helped an old lady cross the road – he’s apparently the best child in Singapore, JB and some say Batam – and she’s not shy about letting you know this. Every chance she gets.
Downside: Her not so humble bragging makes you want to roll your eyes to the back of your head, especially since she fails to announce to the world about how junior likes to pick his nose with gusto when out in public and then either eats them or smears them on mummy’s sleeve when she’s not looking.
Upside: You know that parenting is not a competition and you couldn’t care less if your child is not the top student in his school, all you want is for him to be happy, healthy and just enjoy his childhood.
4. Gossip Momger
There’s no need to read trashy magazines or go online for all the latest news, because this nosy mum will eagerly fill you in on the current happenings and people’s affairs each time you meet up with her for coffee, or she’ll even text you out of the blue just to let you know who so and so is dating, or that so and so has gained 10kg.
Downside: You didn’t even ask her for all these nuggets of information and frankly you didn’t even want to know who’s getting divorced, or whose child scored poorly in the last exam – you just want to mind your own business.
Upside: Admit it, sometimes you are a bit curious about what’s happening with so and so, especially after that confusing cryptic Facebook status they posted recently, and you know you can always turn to your trusted Gossip Momger to fill you in on the details.
5. Mama Prada
She’s always decked from head to toe in Chanel, Prada, Gucci, LV and other designer threads, even when she’s out on a playdate at an indoor kiddy gym, or picking up some groceries at the supermarket – her nails are always beautifully manicured, her makeup is always photo-ready and her teeth are so darn white!
Downside: She sneers at your oversized (no brand) diaper bag, your baggy t-shirt, messy hairdo and naked nails – and just generally makes you feel like a sloppy sack of potatoes.
Upside: Instead of spending around $2000 on yet another designer handbag that will probably be filled with broken crayons, cookie crumbs and wet wipes anyway, you used that money to bring your whole family on a fun-filled vacation which they all enjoyed and will remember for the rest of their lives.
6. Invisible Woman
This mum likes to pull the disappearing act on you when you’re out on a playdate or lunch date together – either she has to take a “really important” phone call and asks you to help keep an eye on her kid as she steps outside of the kiddy play gym for a good half hour, or you’re sitting down at a nice cafe and she asks you to help make sure her little one doesn’t choke on his fruit as she has to go to the washroom for another half hour.
Downside: It’s stressful enough having to handle your own kids, but now you have to play babysitter to someone else’s children too while they are off doing something else??
Upside: At least it’s good practice for you to see what it’ll be like if you plan on having another baby and expanding your little family in the near future!
Go to the next page to read more about parents we all love to hate.
7. Freeloader Mum
You’re not sure if this mother is really facing financial difficulty, or she is just the most stingiest person you have ever met in your life, because she is constantly “forgetting her wallet”, making you have to pay for her meal or her kid’s entrance to the swimming pool, or she always asks you for your children’s pre-loved clothes and toys even though you just gave her two whole bagfuls a few months ago.
Downside: You’re getting a little annoyed of her for always mooching off you and wish that for once she would treat you to a nice meal or give your kids a gift too.
Upside: If she genuinely is needy, then you are doing a good deed by helping her out and donating your pre-loved stuff for her children to use – and anyway, it’s better than just throwing it out in the trash, right?
8. Discipline Mistress
This fierce mama makes you jump a bit every time she yells at her kids at the playground, you always squirm uncomfortably in your seat when she slaps her child right across the face for shoving his younger sister while they were playing, and you’re not too happy about the way she snaps at your kids either when they’re singing just a little too enthusiastically as you’re driving in the car together on the way to the zoo.
Downside: You kind of feel sorry for her children especially after hearing about how they will get caned for every mistake they make, and your kids are really frightened of her.
Upside: Your children will appreciate your gentle parenting approach and are probably glad you don’t have to resort to caning as a form of discipline.
9. Copy Cat
This person has no originality of their own – after doing months of research, you enrol your child in the perfect enrichment course and they simply tag along to sign their kid up too; you spent half a year planning your little one’s birthday party, but then they just swoop in and cut and paste your venue, caterer, theme and even invitation cards; you have your own unique sense of style which projects your personality, but somehow they are now wearing similar things to what you have, even though it is not their usual taste at all.
Downside: It’s a little annoying to have all your ideas stolen from you without any credit being given (or worse, they try to pass it off as their own!) and you really wonder why they don’t have any originality or creativity.
Upside: Imitation is flattery, right? So you must be awesome enough for someone to want to copy your every move.
10. Little Miss Know-it-all
You didn’t even ask for her advice, yet this nosy parker feels compelled to share her infinite wisdom about parenting, cooking, fashion, and sex – and she’s always quick to jump in and point out what you’re doing wrong and how you should try her way instead.
Downside: Everyone has their own way of doing something and what works for one person may not work for another, so you just want her to keep her big fat opinions to herself!
Upside: In the event that you really are clueless about something, this walking and talking Wikipedia will probably be eager to dispense a few tips.
11. Lady of Perpetual Lateness
You were supposed to meet up at 11.30am at the cinema to buy the tickets to watch the latest Disney show but as usual, she shows up at 12.10pm so now you have to watch the 12.45pm show instead, which will run into your little one’s nap time and you predict a total meltdown halfway through the movie.
Downside: You waste so much time waiting around for this tardy mum and although you understand that it’s hard to run out the door on time when you have kids in tow, it’s unacceptable for her to be late every single time – and how come you can be punctual yet you have kids too??
Upside: Since she’s predictably late, you know better and can give yourself time to do some window-shopping or run a few errands before she eventually arrives.
12. Domestic Help Abuser
We don’t mean that these parents physically abuse their domestic helper, but they just take full advantage of the fact that they have hired help and they seem to want to get their money’s worth, because every tiny task is left to the poor helper to tend to – changing the bub’s diaper, feeding junior his meals, rocking the little one to sleep, giving them their bath and playing with them – all while mum and dad are leaning back in their seats with a glass of wine in one hand and chatting away with friends.
Downside: It’s fine to have some help (we all need help sometimes!), but the domestic helper seems to be doing 80% of the parenting because mummy and daddy don’t understand that such “menial tasks” are actually important bonding moments through everyday care-giving.
Upside: When you’re over at their house for dinner, it is a bit of a welcomed relief to have a responsible adult being able to watch your kids as they play together in the other room so you can eat in peace and actually have some (uninterrupted) adult conversation for once.
13. Party Pooper
This wet blanket somehow always manages to see the negative side of things instead of enjoying the day out together, or is a complete spoilsport by disagreeing with all your suggestions for where to go on your next playdate, yet they are unable to give any suggestions of their own but choose to mope and moan about everything instead.
Downside: It’s no fun hanging out with this Debbie Downer and they somehow always manage to suck the life out of any situation and are just generally total buzzkills.
Upside: Their unwillingness to participate in any activity makes you seem like the cool one just because you’re daring enough to ride on the roller coaster with all the kids.
Although you may have crossed paths with one or more of these parents we all love to hate, take a step back and try to figure out, just in case, whether you fall into any of those categories too!
What do you think of our list? Do you know anyone who is like one of those parents mentioned? Or do you feel perhaps you are one of them? Leave your comments below.