“Three Females Clinging To Me”: Entitled Parents And Neighbor Ruin Halloween Hayride

Sometimes the circumstances require that we step up and take responsibility, even when it's not technically ours to take. But there’s a difference between doing the right thing and being forced to accommodate others.

Reddit user u/MiraculousFoxyLady shared a story on r/IDontWorkHereLady that perfectly illustrates this distinction. It’s about a Halloween hayride the woman joined for a bit of lighthearted fun, but which unexpectedly turned into a daycare she was pretty much made to run — all because some parents were too ignorant to care for their children.

A few years ago, Ipsos found that a majority of parents in each of the 28 surveyed countries said they feel judged by others at least sometimes, with the United States showing the largest proportion—92%—in a tie with Singapore.

At the same time, 89% of Americans who are not parents of a child under 18 admit to judging parents at least sometimes (including 11% very often and 19% fairly often).

Being raised by an entitled parent means seeing your caregivers feel as if the world owes them. According to experts, kids with this experience may emulate their parents and develop a bad attitude themselves.

"Children often learn by what they see. In this case, a child could lean toward entitlement," says Craig Knippenberg, a therapist and author of Wired and Connected: Brain-Based Solutions to Ensure Your Child’s Social and Emotional Success.

Also, if children realize what’s happening, they might choose to distance themselves from their parents. "Some more empathic children may be embarrassed or ashamed of their parents' entitlement," Knippenberg adds. "As they reach adulthood, they make a conscientious effort to avoid entitlement."

Of course, that doesn't mean we need to vilify moms and dads who are not on their A game. Last year, the former U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory on the well-being of parents, saying, "Addressing parental mental health conditions, and importantly the underlying stressors and causes, is critical for the well-being of children and society."

In his piece for The New York Times, Murthy cited a recent study by the American Psychological Association, which said that 48% of parents reported that "most days their stress is completely overwhelming."

The study also noted that 62% of parents say "no one understands how stressed out they are."

But I think we can agree that leaving your kids with a stranger isn't the answer to parental burnout, either.