“At Night She Will Tell Me, Crying, That She Wished I Died Instead Of Mommy”: 30 Parents Tell Of The Things Their Kids Do That Absolutely Break Their Hearts

"Kids definitely lack filters, especially my kids. Their comments can be especially biting since there is usually some truth behind them. At least truth from their limited perspective," Samantha, who runs the 'Walking Outside in Slippers' blog, told Bored Panda via email.

"But if they are not trying to be mean, I try to remember that we value open communication in our family and hear the message buried in the possibly hurtful comment. If they are being intentionally unkind, that's an opportunity to have a conversation about the importance of being kind and considerate of others' feelings," she shared how parents can learn not to take these mean comments to heart.

"All that said, it still sucks to hear nasty remarks even from kids."

We were also curious to get blogger Samantha's thoughts on how parents might address intentional rudeness from their kids so that they'll understand the impact that their words can have.

"We talk to our kids a lot about the impact words and actions have on others. When an example of bullying comes up, we discuss that and how being bullied feels," the founder of 'Walking Outside in Slippers' told Bored Panda.

"We ensure our kids say 'please' and 'thank you,' and try to model a good example in front of them. But they are still young impressionable minds that are learning, and we are often correcting them and asking them to stop calling each other rude names. It's a work in progress, and will continue to be."

At the end of the day, kids are still growing, so they might not be fully aware of what they’re saying or the kind of impact their words can have on others. For children, saying that they love one parent more than the other might be God’s honest truth… or it can be a wayward and impulsive comment that they simply felt like saying right then and there, without putting much thought into it.

But for parents, hearing this sort of stuff can sting. Especially if they’re feeling overworked, overwhelmed, and underappreciated at home. However, the best approach here is to try and embrace these accidentally hurtful comments. Laugh them off or use them as a springboard for some witty back-and-forth. Or, if their comments were particularly hurtful, you could start a friendly discussion with some serious undertones about the kind of effect that words have. 

According to ‘iMom,’ the mean things that children say are “their way of expressing feelings rather than describing their actual feelings about you,” so it’s essential that parents don’t take these things too personally.

However, what is important is showing your child that you’re there for them and that you’re actively listening to what they’re saying. Dismissing their (mean) words outright isn’t the way to go. Solving small conflicts and addressing issues is a good way to bond with your child.

Open and honest communication can work wonders here, too. If your child has genuinely hurt you with their tirade, tell them about it. Of course, be careful to stress the fact that you still love them, but that they need to find different, better ways of sharing their feelings.

Alternatively, there might be some deep-seated issues at play here other than the parents themselves. Perhaps the kid is having issues at school or with friends and is simply offloading their emotions on you. Dig deeper, and look for the root cause of the grumbling and meanness.