Parenting can sometimes present us with incredible surprises, revealing us to be completely different from who we are, or who we usually think we are. Sometimes, a tough guy turns out to be completely helpless when dealing with a toddler, while a great professional realizes that work and parenting are completely different things.
Our story today, first shared by the user u/khazef, clearly demonstrates that even an experienced parent with their second child can suddenly feel completely helpless if the toddler is too eager to get their way. Or, well, if the dad secretly refuses to put in the effort to solve the problem...
More info: Reddit
Parenting isn't an easy thing, even if you're an experienced parent - and this story clearly proves it
Image credits: Freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The author of the post and his wife have two kids, 8 and 2 years old, and the youngest daughter actually sparked this problem
Image credits: The Yuri Arcurs Collection / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The author's wife studies at home in the evenings, and the kid does her best to be around mom during these hours, by hook or by crook
Image credits: Freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The dad vows he tried numerous times to keep her away from the mom when she's studying, but failed literally every time
Image credits: khazef
The man offered for the wife to go to campus to study, but she refused, so the man took this online, seeking advice
The Original poster (OP) says that he and his wife have two kids, aged 8 and 2, and it was the younger girl who unwittingly became the cause of this whole story. The thing is, the toddler does her best to be around her mommy literally all the time, and when she's left in dad's care, but knows mom is home, she really does him a disservice.
The author's wife continues her studies at the university, and in the evenings, when she's studying, her daughter tries her best to get upstairs to see her mom. She always manages to outsmart her dad - for example, by telling him she needs her potty, which is upstairs. As a result, it's quite difficult to keep her away from her mom.
The spouses usually divide up the household and family responsibilities: in the morning, when the man works, the wife takes care of everything, and then it's the husband's turn. He cleans the house, cooks, washes the dishes, and picks up the elder kid from school... but, according to the OP himself, it's impossible to manage the youngest kid while his wife is studying.
The man has repeatedly suggested that his wife go to campus to study for school, but she keeps refusing, insisting that she prefers studying at home. And so, now the original poster has decided to take this online, hoping that perhaps one of the netizens will offer some sensible and rational advice in this situation.
Image credits: Drazen Zigic / Freepik (not the actual photo)
"Of course, children of any age can be incredibly cunning and resourceful in their quest to achieve what they want, but that doesn't mean they can easily outsmart an adult," says Irina Matveeva, a psychologist and certified NLP specialist, whom Bored Panda asked for a comment here. "Especially when doing this repeatedly, on a regular basis."
According to the expert, it's more likely that the man would prefer his wife's presence not distract the child. Moreover, he himself admits that when his wife is not home, their daughter behaves quite calmly. Therefore, the father is essentially trying to solve his own inconvenience by having his wife sacrifice her comfort.
"I think this is a rather selfish approach. So if this father is truly experienced in parenting - and by all appearances, he is, and seems quite conscientious in everything concerning family and everyday life - then he should ask himself about this. And if he honestly answers that the problem is more a matter of his inconvenience, then it won't be a problem to solve it himself," Irina Matveeva summarizes.
In fact, most people in the comments on the original post also criticized the author, claiming that he's likely trying to weaponize his incompetence, subconsciously not wanting to solve the issue himself. "You're being outsmarted by a two-year-old," someone wrote quite sarcastically. "That's not your kid being 'creative,' that's you being complacent and letting it happen." So do you, our dear readers, also agree with this?
Most commenters, however, suspected the man of just weaponizing his incompetence and urged him to be smarter than the toddler
