Once our kids reach a certain age, it seems we, as parents, can’t do anything right or not embarrassing. When you’re really acting like a dork, you may hear your teenager or tween call the behavior “cringe.” Please note, we can’t say “cringe.” Because then they think we’re “cringe.”
In a new TikTok, a seventh grade teacher said he asked students to share “What parents do that make middle schoolers cringe.” And their answers, which they wrote on Post-it notes, are the kind of things we are all guilty of—if you’re born before 2000, that is.
"My mom also hangs up positivity signs," confessed one deeply ashamed middle schooler, adding, "Live, Laugh, Love."
"My mom still dabs," another mortified student wrote.
"My mom does TikTok dances," someone else wrote.
"My mom uses Facebook," "Takes mirror selfies," and "Listens to Katy Perry'' were also among the apparently unacceptable parent behaviors. Oh, and if you're jotting these don'ts, don't forget to add do not watch 'NCIS' or say "that's tight" unless you want to make your child truly uncomfortable. Finally, another kid called out their parents for making them order off the kids' menu even though they are 13 years old.
Hilariously, some parents weighed in on these call-outs in the comments section, with one teasing, "Do they understand that their discomfort is the goal?"
"I'm not supposed to dab?" joked another parent, while someone else figuratively gasped, "How dare they come after our procedural shows." I'm applauding these parents for having a sense of humor about the video.
You may also feel attacked after watching this TikTok—just at us next time. Wait, did I do that right? Is it @ or at?
But try and remember that we thought our parents were embarrassing too. I used to hate when my mom wore culottes and my dad paired swim trunks with knee socks. Of course, our vocabulary was a little different too.
I guess now it's our turn to humiliate our kids. Part of me finds it funny that my eighth grader could be so affronted when I wear a crop top sweatshirt (she says I'm trying to be too young). But the other part of me is also a little sad. How did we get here so quickly? She used to look at me like I was the coolest person she knew. I mean, who could read bedtime stories funnier than me? And I was the best boo boo kisser in the world! Now, I get the eye roll when I call everyone over for a family pic—yes, for Facebook.
My only comfort is that if my 13-year-old finds me cringe, at least she's paying attention to me, and I'm in her life. I guess the true loss would be if she didn't even notice me enough for me to humiliate her! Of course, from what I hear, those days are on the horizon once she heads to high school. Maybe then I'll miss the days that blasting music from the early 2000s could send her into annoyance overdrive.
