Few people are arguably more annoying than entitled ones. Expecting others to drop everything at a second’s notice just to help them out or demanding preferential treatment for reasons only known to them can surely lead to some rather frustrating situations.
Some people develop a sense of entitlement after becoming parents; for some reason they believe that having a child works like a privilege pass in certain circumstances. That’s why their entitlement often becomes a source of inspiration for internet memes, providing something to giggle at—or maybe relate to, to those who’ve ever encountered an entitled parent in the wild—when scrolling away. Continue to move down this list to find memes about the latter, as shared by the ‘Entitled Parents Memes’ subreddit.
Bored Panda discussed the topic of parent entitlement with a developmental psychologist, author Dona Matthews, who was kind enough to answer a few of our questions. Scroll down to find her insight in the text below.
#1 Insert Title
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#2 Vax
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#3 Biggest Brain Time
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There are countless examples of parents’ sense of entitlement—just take this mother demanding that other children share their toys, for example, or this one annoyed at some kids at the playground—which is why people are far from surprised when another similar situation unfolds.
“We’ve all run into that parent, the one who demands to go ahead of us in line at the grocery store or restaurant because their child is getting impatient, or the one who wants to switch seats with us because their child wants to be at the window or on the aisle,” developmental psychologist Dona Matthews told Bored Panda in a recent interview.
“That parent is probably entitled and demanding in other areas of their life, too, but at the very least we can know that in these cases, they’re using their child as a proxy to ask for advantages.”
#4 That’s Just Under 1.3 Billion Today, That’s Literal Effort To Be That Entitled
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#5 Your Kids Are Humans Too Karen
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“My reaction to that kind of entitlement depends on the parent’s tone,” Matthews continued. “If they’re apologetic, and express appreciation for the fact they’re asking for something I don’t have to give them, I’m usually happy to comply if I can.
“But if the tone is demanding, I find I dig in my heels, and will comply only if I feel like it. I’ll be polite, but might say ‘No,’ maybe with an explanation (e.g., ‘Sorry, I’m in a hurry too.’ Or ‘Sorry, I selected this seat and am all set up here.’)”
It’s arguably safe to assume that most people would react differently to a demanding and appreciative tone, especially when it comes to parents with children. If an apologetic dad asks to cut in line by the nearest bathroom, because his little one really needs to go, that’s a completely different story from an aggravated ‘Karen’ yelling that their child deserved this plane seat they didn’t book or pay for in advance.
#6 Fucking Karen Am I Right
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#7 This Hits A Little Too Close To Home
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#8 I Don’t Think That I Have To Say Anything
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It’s important to pay attention when a parent is simply being an entitled jerk and when there are actually valid reasons for their seemingly rude or aggravating behavior. Dona Matthews shared with Bored Panda that she doesn’t think entitlement is ever excusable, but there are times when parents can have legitimate requests for help with their children.
“If a child or parent has special needs, and the parent is doing their best to manage a tough situation, then I want to be part of the village that supports the family in coping as well as possible with their challenges,” she said.
#9 This Is Accurate
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#10 Its Funny Cause Its True
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#11 *moves To Canada
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It’s difficult to answer why some people feel entitled to certain things just because they are a parent. “That varies from one parent to another, and from one situation to another,” the developmental psychologist pointed out. “Sometimes it’s temperament—some people are just more demanding than others, regardless of the situation—and sometimes it’s concern about their child’s ability to cope with less-than-ideal circumstances.”
“Sometimes that concern is legitimate—the parent may be dealing with a particularly challenging child—and sometimes it stems from a parent’s need for more effective parenting techniques,” the expert added.
#12 Imagine … Uggh
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#13 Idk Where Else To Post This
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#14 Anti Vaxx Mom Be Like
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Some of the posts shared by ‘Entitled Parents Memes’ clearly show that such parents often affect not only their own lives and well-being but those of their children as well. Their actions can have a strong impact on the offspring and can set an example, which might be far from the best one for a developing mind to follow.
“An entitled parent is acting as a model for their child, and is effectively teaching their child to feel entitled, too. As time goes by, that rarely goes well for either one of them,” Matthews said.
#15 Getting Really Sick Of Your Shit Karen
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#16 I’m Protecting My Phone Against Em’s
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#17 We All Need Therapy Once In A While… Some More Than Others. Thanks Mom For That
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Teaching children that they are entitled to some sort of preferential treatment might not be the best choice for many reasons; and there clearly are better things to fill their heads with.
“There’s considerable research showing that an attitude of gratitude has many benefits, whereas an attitude of entitlement brings with it negativity and unnecessary problems,” Dona Matthews emphasized in a recent interview with Bored Panda.
In a piece for Psychology Today, she pointed out that an attitude of gratitude leads to more energy, a greater sense of optimism, greater resilience and better capacity to overcome setbacks, a deeper sense of contentment, and deeper empathy, which can be essential for trying to tame a sense of entitlement.
#18 I See This Line In Every “Em Tries To Steal Something” Story
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#19 Oh No Karen
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#20 Lol
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In her piece, the author also shared ways of incorporating gratitude into your own and your child’s life. She suggested focusing on the beauty in the moment; “Actively celebrate being alive. Notice what’s good or beautiful about the people and the world around you.”
She also emphasized the importance of establishing and maintaining healthy routines, transforming entitlement and negativity into gratitude, and teaching your child to express it, among other things.
#21 Let’s Be Honest, It’s True
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#22 Please Don’t
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#23 When You Tell Karen Her Child Isn’t An Angel
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The reason it’s so important to teach gratitude over entitlement is because children will reflect what they see, hear, or are taught. That’s likely why quite a few millennials nowadays are considered entitled; and, according to Inc.com, the parents are partially to blame.
It pointed out that over 70% of American adults think of the aforementioned generation as “selfish,” and 65% believe they are “entitled.” It continued to emphasize that entitlement is typically a learned behavior, which emerges when parents believe their precious children are entitled to everything.
#24 Mom….. Lets Just Go
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#25 Karen
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#26 My First Meme. Im Sorry For Everything
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These memes shared by the subreddit might work as a mirror to a) parents who tend to show off their sense of entitlement, b) kids who are affected by it in any way. But if viewing such images didn’t evoke any negative feelings for you yourself, feel free to continue to this list of insane parents who felt more entitled to things than anyone else.
#27 Mommy Knows The Best
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#28 Of Course It’s A Karen
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#29 (Caption)
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#30 No U Can’t Win
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#31 Birth Of A Karen
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#32 Every Entitled Parent Be Like:
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#33 Ah S**t. Here We Go Again
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#34 Not Sure If This Belongs Here But Here You Go
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#35 Yes
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#36 Entitled Mommies Be Like
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#37 She Calls Her Lawyer Everytime
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#38 Oh She Will Love To Help You Guys Out
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#39 The Muppets Most Wanted Is A Criminally Underrated Film
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#40 Made This Last Night Hope You Like It
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#41 And That’s A Fact
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#42 Ushjs
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#43 My Opinion Is Obviously Wrong
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#44 I Think I Need To Go See A Therapist :’)
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#45 Please Stop Doing This Its Not Punishment…it Feels Like Abuse
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#46 Another Ep Meme Cause I Have Years Of Repressed Emotions Against My Mother And Comedy Is One Of My Few Coping Mechanisms
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#47 This Makes Sense
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#48 Its So Damn Annoying
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#49 There’s No Winning
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#50 Hehehe
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#51 Says It All
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#52 Happy Mothers Day!
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#53 The Classic Facebook Marketplace Karen
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#54 True Story
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#55 Thought This Would Fit Here
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#56 True
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#57 When You Have Nice Things
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#58 Why Give Your Child Autism When You Can Let Them Die
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#59 Every Karen:
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#60 [re-Edit, Grammar Correction] Oof
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#61 Oh Karen
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#62 Ah Man
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#63 If This Checks Out To Your Parents, If Ya Need To Vent Dm Me
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#64 I Made A Meme About My Parents
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#65 That Was Longer Than Expected
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#66 They Somehow Always Manage To Turn It All On You, Which Eventually Lead Me To Think That Maybe I’m Just The Bad Kid. Nope!
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#67 I Demand Compensation For Giving Birth To You
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#68 That Sums It Up
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#69 Like, Seriously?
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#70 Not It Isnt Karen
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#71 Karen At Mcdonalds
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#72 Intelligence
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#73 They Dont. Come On!
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#74 Give Me Your Xbox, Caral
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#75 How It Be Like
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#76 I Always Feel Bad For Those Guys
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#77 Halloween Decorations
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#78 Broccoli
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#79 Anti Vaxx Moms Bad
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#80 Oh God
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#81 Karen :my Five Year Old Had So Good Grades,he Deserves Some Alien Titties
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#82 Why Are You Always In Such A Bad Mood
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#83 Found This On R/Memes Thought It Belonged Here
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#84 Everytime
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#85 Bipity, Bopity:
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#86 Yes
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#87 Wait, What The Hell Just Occured!
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#88 Entitled Kids Be Like
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#89 She Cares About Kids More Than Teachers, And She Made A Sign
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#90 Permanent Lifelong Childhood Trauma
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#91 Ok, If You Say So
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#92 Sorry Becky, I Didn’t Realize You And Your Natural Learner Owned Parks And Museums
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#93 Texting
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#94 I Now Have A Fear Of Leaving The House Even Though I’m Not Hiding Anything
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#95 Speaks For Itself
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#96 Karen Birthday Meme
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#97 Typical Karens
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#98 Ahhhh Shit, Here We Go Again
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#99 ?
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#100 Quick Understanding About Entitled Parents
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