Raising kids can be a trip. The journey is filled with laughter, tears, and at times, embarrassment. They have no filter. None whatsoever. Little humans will say or do whatever’s on their minds, totally unaware of the impact or consequences. There’s no such thing as a tattered reputation as far as they’re concerned.
Sometimes their thoughts and actions are random, hilarious, or confusing. Other times, they’re just dumb. We forgive them because they’re still developing. But parents don’t always forget. In fact, some make sure their children’s weird antics are forever immortalized, by sharing them online for all the world to see.
People have been sharing the completely clueless things that kids have said or done. And while some are ridiculously cringe, we can’t help but laugh. Bored Panda has put together a cute list of our favorite ones, for when you need to feel better about your own stupid moments. Don’t forget to upvote the ones that you love. We also had a fun and nostalgic chat with author Jules Torti about her own dumb and questionable childhood memories. Torti has written several insightful and humorous books, including “Been There, Ate That: A Candy-coated Childhood.”
#1 Turn Your Back For 30 Seconds
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Jules Torti is excited when Bored Panda reaches out to her. The author loves talking, and writing, about all things nostalgia and growing up. Torti doesn’t hesitate to tell us her childhood revolved around questionable things. Even though, like many of us, she didn’t consider them dumb at the time.
“I thought I was quite clever when I avoided returning overdue library books and instead chose to bury them down by the pond behind our house,” Torti recalls. “And when my brother and I bounced around the pink insulation batts when my parents were renovating the basement we didn’t realize there was anything dumb about it. When our eyes were pinker than the insulation and we felt like we’d been rolled around in poison ivy, we were politely informed of our dumbness and didn’t take much interest in playing in fibreglass again!”
“This was a time period where common sense did not prevail,” continues the author. “I mean, we used to throw the biggest rocks we could find onto the pond’s surface to test the ice readiness. If the rock didn’t go through, clearly it was safe enough for us to play hockey. We would also [pee] inside our snowsuits when tobogganing to avoid having to go back inside the house and unzipping everything. We thought that was a smart alternative until the hot and wet itch set in.”
#2 One Of The Stupidest Things I’ve Ever Seen A Kid Do, And It’s My Kid
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Torti recalls doing loads of dumb sh*it with her hair as a kid. “My sister and I gave each other several not-so-flattering haircuts all the time,” she tells us. “We lived in the country so were responsible for creating our own entertainment which oddly involved scissors and each other’s bangs (well, when they existed to cut off again).”
“When we had no hair of our own to trim, we turned to the cat,” remembers Torti. “Poor Moker, our grey Persian—she was often whisker-less and I regret that but I’m sure my sister deserved the aggressive clippings and bubblegum in her hair. I’m surprised Kiley and I were allowed to have hair at all—the greatest sibling revenge was sticking a wad of Hubba Bubba on the back of her head. Or pine sap in a pinch. We were always halfway up a tree in our yard and if one was annoyed with the other the big brain-like balls of sap on the trunks were the perfect weapon.”
“I’m sure she regrets that I’m a writer and love to tell the story of when she ate all of my grandmother’s ex-lax,” laughed the author. “Oh, and that time she ate Play-Doh. Now, there’s a visual!”
#3 This Photo My Kid’s Daycare Sent Us Of Him Helping Them Bake A Cake
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#4 Lost My Kid In Target. Found Him Here
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#5 Solid Plan
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#6 My 7 Year Old Son’s Brilliant Way To Never Lose The Only Key He Has For This Lock
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As adults, we can learn a lot from children. They’re carefree, they laugh a lot, they’re curious, and they’re resilient. Us grown-ups tend to take life really seriously and as far as kids are concerned, we should lighten up.
The Western Australian government released a sweet and insightful report in 2022 titled “What can adults learn from children?” The office of the Commissioner for Children and Young People had polled over a thousand young people from age 8 up and received some cute and enlightening responses.
“Many children and young people want adults to listen to what they have to say and express their frustration in not being heard,” said Western Australia Commissioner Jacqueline McGowan-Jones. “A large number also mentioned that adults could learn from children how to be more creative and have fun.”
While there’s no denying kids can say or do some dumb sh*t, they are by no means not smart. In the report, a number of children said that adults underestimate their intelligence. “[We] are not as dumb as they think,” was one boy’s simple answer when asked what adults can learn from children.
In one particularly cute response, another youngster said, “Adults learn stuff from children every day – once when I was 2 years old, my mum thought there were only 10 dinosaurs, but I told her there were more than 400 dinosaurs. She was astonished.”
“Just remember, children are smart, too,” added the little Einstein.
#7 A Solid Career Choice If You Asked Me
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#8 All Fun And Games Until They Actually Bring Out A Cat
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#9 I Hope It Was Elvis
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Many of the children surveyed felt that grown-ups need to loosen up. “Have fun and stop working all day and writing emails,” suggested one child. And I’d have to admit, I’m guilty as charged.
Even experts agree that adults need to take a leaf out of children’s books when it comes to having fun, being silly, and laughing more. “Just because parenting is a serious business is no reason to be serious about it all the time,” said Shannon Bennett, assistant professor of psychology at Weill Cornell Medicine.
“Taking time for a moment of levity with your child during your daily routine means you’re making it a priority. You’re saying, ‘We enjoy you. You’re important. You’re loved.’”
#10 My Five Year Old Daughter Cut Holes In Her Socks Just In Case Her Feet Get Hot
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#11 How Dare You Be Her Child
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#12 Wholesome Family Time
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Bennett told the Washington Post that kids are drawn to people who can be funny. In order to connect with them, we adults need to lighten up.
“So many of our days as parents can be bogged down with just getting from task A to task B,” she explained. “Laughing can be cathartic and release dopamine and other feel-good chemicals in the brain. The key is the shared experience of joy. Making room for fun can help your children become the people they were meant to be.”
#13 Hide And Seek Champ?
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#14 How To Put In AirPods, By My 2 Year Old
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#15 I Didn’t Know People Actually Did This
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Many of us would be lying if we said we didn’t do at least one dumb thing when we were little. Heck, some of us still haven’t learned and could take part in the “Adults Doing Dumb Sh*t Olympics”. If there ever were to be such a thing. As children, we often knew no better. We were exploring, learning, and feeding our curiosity.
Psychologist, author, and instructor Christopher Thurber once shared a memory that is literally seared into his being. “When I was four, I fell in love with Hot Wheels toy cars. My favorite was a drag racer with its own parachute. The chute clipped to the underside of the car with a pair of wire hooks… It was really cool,” he wrote.
#16 He’s Five By The Way
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#17 Glad This Didn’t Exist When I Was A Kid
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#18 My Daughter’s Hide And Seek Spots Are Improving?
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“I noticed one day that the wire hooks resembled an electrical plug,” continued Thurber. “And so I did the logical thing for a four-year-old: I inserted those hooks into an outlet.”
I think the majority of us can guess what happened next. Because we are adults, not 4-year-olds, we’ve learned that it’s never a good idea to stick a metal anything into an electrical socket.
#19 My Daughter Trying To Hide When She’s Supposed To Be In Bed
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#20 Close Enough
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#21 Gamer Rage
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“Pop! The thin wires vaporized in a flash, turning my fingers black and red,” wrote Thurber. “I must have yelped, but I don’t remember that part. I do remember my mother calling from the kitchen… By the time I heard her footsteps running down the hall, I had already dashed into the bathroom to scrub the discoloration from my wounded extremity. But burns don’t wash off.”
#22 I Think She Hates School
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#23 Very Odd Cookie Recipe
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#24 That Was Unexpected
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In his essay on the American Camp Association site, Thurber says all young kids do stupid things, adding that “doing dumb stuff teaches something”. The expert urges adults to take it easy on children when they make small, stupid mistakes.
“When kids do something asinine, sigh quickly,” he suggests. “Then welcome the lessons attached to that experience. You can express concern, even anger. You can even punish from time to time. But let your dominant approach to young people’s development be to embrace the hidden treasure of dumb stuff.”
#25 Only Smart People Wore Glasses
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#26 Not The Smartest Kid
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#27 Main Question Is What Did You Do With The Removed Pieces
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#28 This Is How My 2 Year Old Granddaughter Sits Taking Ornaments Off The Tree, Thinking No One Can See Her
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#29 Kids Are Just The Best, Aren’t They?
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#30 Please Tell Me You Said, “Yes.”
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#31 Perfect Description
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#32 Asked My Nephew To Line Up The Shoes While Cleaning Up
Didn’t specify against the wall. Will be giving clearer instructions next time.
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#33 My Daughter Got Her Head Stuck In The Door. She Was The One Holding The Door Closed
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#34 Decided To Try To Fit Between The Sliding Door And The Screen
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#35 I Wasn’t The Brightest Kid In Class
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#36 My Partner Teaches Primary School. She Sent Me This Gem Today
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#37 I Forged This Letter To My Mom Pretending To Be My Fourth Grade Teacher, An Absolute Classic
Wonder why it didn’t work, looks legit to me!
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#38 This Is My Son. Hiding. In A Mesh, Very See Through Laundry Hamper. All While Whispering “Hide, Hide, Hide” To Himself
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#39 Hide And Seek Queen
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#40 My Nephew Has A Lot To Learn About How This World Works
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#41 My Little Brother (10) Got Stuck In A Cat Donut
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#42 I Was A Bit Stupid As A Child
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#43 Duty Is Duty
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#44 The Transformation Is Beginning
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#45 Wait It’s Not The Same?
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#46 My Young Nieces Refuse To Eat Tomatoes, But Can’t Get Enough Of These “Flower Fruit” (Dark Cherry Tomatoes) That I Grow
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#47 Maybe It’s The Y At The End
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#48 Found Out Why My Dog Is Sick
My wife was waiting at the vet to get our dog checked out for stomach problems that started this weekend. As she’s there she gets this note from my 3 year old son’s daycare. Apparently he was feeling guilty.
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#49 What An Idea To Slow Down Others
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#50 Meanwhile My Dog Is Actually 14 And Doesn’t Want To Hang Out With Me
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#51 My Children Can’t Be Trusted To Lie And I’m Okay With That
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#52 So You Scheduled That Piper Playdate, Right?
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#53 He Went Outside And Everything To Collect That Damn Leaf For Me. Love The Dedication
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#54 Kids Are Too Funny
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#55 Text From My Sister This Morning About Her 5yo Son
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#56 My 6 Year Old Begs Me To Play Minecraft With Him And Then Does This The Whole Time To See His Half Of The Screen Better
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#57 He Immediately Regrets Decision
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#58 Stupid But Wholesome
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#59 Kid Doesn’t Like Apples But Eats Them If They Are Like McDonald’s Fries
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#60 Not Even The Combined Mind Of Two 11 Year Olds Could Figure This One Out
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#61 A Driver’s License Is An Acceptable Form Of Payment
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#62 My Friends Kid Decided To Make His Own Popsicle
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#63 My Daughter Loaded The Dishwasher Today
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#64 He Should Have Checked Behind The TV Too
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#65 I Used To Tell My Mom My Entire Kindergarten Class Shared A Single Apple
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#66 Kids Are Masters Of Pattern Recognition
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#67 Short Term Memory Problems Lead To Lifetime Of Disappointments
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#68 I’m A Vegetarian
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#69 And This Is Why We Never Use Tin Foil Around Our Food And Put It In The Microwave
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#70 Don’t Forget To Subscribe
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#71 For Love
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#72 Told My Son That He Had To Eat Half Of His Hot Dog Before We Could Watch A Movie
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#73 Grand Daughter Drew Me Some Art Work
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#74 My Boyfriend Is A Teacher And Just Sent Me This
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#75 You Came To The Wrong House, Elf
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#76 Literally The Same Version Of Each Other
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#77 That Sounds Paneful
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#78 Our Kid Came Out Of His Room And Said The Air Smelled Hot
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#79 They’re Going To Be Besties Before You Know It
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#80 Amazon Baby
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#81 I Love That Your Kids Adore Food
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#82 How Could You?
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#83 Text From My Friend Tonight After Trick Or Treating Ended
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#84 Cakey Will Always Be A Part Of Him
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#85 At Least He’s Still Getting Use Out Of Them
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#86 Kids Will Believe Anything They Are Told
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#87 My Niece And Nephew Made Me A Sandwich, Top With Baby Carrots, Panda Chocolate Cookies And Yogurt. They Know Me Well
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#88 My Niece, Who I Treated Nicely In The 3 Hours She Stayed, Decided That Doing This To Me Was A Good Idea
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#89 My Kid Painted A Picture And Wanted To Hang It On The Wall, So She Used Paint To Do That
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#90 Yay! Snacks
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#91 They Didn’t Think That Was An Option
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#92 You Tell Me Buddy
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#93 Not A Surprise Prank
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#94 3 Year Old Daughter Said Close Your Eyes I Have A Cool Sticker For You. This Was The Cool Sticker When I Opened My Eyes
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#95 “Because My Phone Was Too Cold”
That’s why my kid melted his camera on the heater floor vent.
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#96 Kid Thought The Expiration Date On Milk Was 1573
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#97 My Daughter Taped This To The Front Door To “Prank” The Neighbors
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#98 This Is So Sweet And So Stupid
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#99 That’s You
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#100 Nutter Butter Chomps
3 year old found my stash. Told him to wait a minute while I finished a couple dishes and dried hands and I’d help him open it. I’m pretty sure he ate the plastic. I couldn’t find it anywhere. This isn’t the first time.
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