Were there any mistakes you made as a young or first time parent that you just thank your lucky stars weren't videotaped?

Oh yeah!

I spent too much time away from my first son to spend more time with my best friend/at tango/concerning myself with relationships/getting out of my marriage. I regret this and as soon as Alex moved here, I became a much better parent, focused on the family and have remained so since.

With my first? The main mistakes I made were just not being educated on things…like breastfeeding, vaccines, and just certain ways to take care of a child. I just did what I assumed was the correct way, because it’s what everyone else was doing. I hate that I used the stroller all the time- I now practice baby-wearing. I also learned a lot about breastfeeding so I wouldn’t fail this time. I also hate that I started him on baby food so early. I think that I was given terrible advice.

I’d say I do things with my second that I would have never done with my first. I don’t worry over every little thing. I bet the fact that I rarely supported his head is probably something that would freak people out…but he has amazing head control now.

But yes, there have been plenty of “mother of the year” moments where I’m thankful no one was around. lol

I washed him every time he got dirty. Washy, washy, washy. When I took him to the doctor for the horrible rash my doctor asked how often do you bathe him and I said every time he gets dirty. God it must have sucked to be the first born son of such an anal retentive clean freak.

Yes, when I fell down the stairs with baby. She was fine, but wasn’t.

I was a step-father for like a year and a half; I accidentally jammed his finger in the door, he was 3.

Absolutely. Usually the result of being underslept and in the thrall of an uncooperative baby. I believe these episodes began with me uttering the phrase, “Look you little shit…”

@cprevite So that explains why he thought his name was Shit for the first few years.

@chyna: Exactly.

@cprevite
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@janbb

Thanks for everyone’s answers so far. It’s not easy to talk about the mistakes one has made but I think it’s good for others to know that all parents make mistakes.

Just the other day my two year old son padded up behind me and pulled a knife off the counter where I was chopping veg for dinner. He managed to swing it over his head and nearly swiped an ear off before I could grab it off him! I nearly had a heart attack! I won’t be leaving knives on counters again in a hurry.

I had two little girls, who were in their cribs for a nap. I went outside to water the flowers, locking myself out of the house. No key, no cell phone, no windows I could open and nothing to break in with. No neighbors around the street were home.

I had to go across the street to a grocery store and beg the use of their phone to call someone, who then came to bail me out… an hour later. Meanwhile, I stood outside my babies’ window and cried while they cried.

@eden2eve That is heartbreaking!

Is it bad that I’ve had episodes like these when I was a third-time parent? Yikes!

When my daughter (oldest) was a baby, I was sitting at the table playing with her. She’d lean way back, and I’d pull her up to a sitting position on my lap. Well, one time she leaned back too close to the table, and when I pulled her up her head whacked the table. We were at a family member’s house with a bunch of other people, and everyone saw my stupid moment. :(

I dislocated my second child’s elbow accidentally. He was at that “throw myself down on my back during a temper tantrum” phase and we were at the grocery store. I was holding his hand, and when he tried to throw himself back, I pulled up on his arm in a panic, thinking he’d hit his head on the hard floor. I felt horrible, and was afraid the pediatrician would call police. I was crying while she fixed his elbow, and she told me it’s actually quite common.

My youngest had his finger slammed in the minivan door, by me. He was standing next to the van, and just as I slid the door closed he put his hand on the van with his fingers curled into the groove where the door fits. Once again, we were off to the pediatrician.

@eden2eve Don’t feel bad…that happened to me when I was a nanny!! The 2½ year old was napping, and the six month old was fussy so I went outside and she calmed down. I went to open the door back up…it had locked behind me! I was so frantic trying to get in, and mortified..thinking I’d for sure lose my job over this. I ended up having to go to a neighbors house and call my boss, but she was already on her way home. Thankfully she was very understanding.

@MissAusten Probably none of those things were funny at the time, but I couldn’t help chuckling!

@MissAusten FTW

OK, here’s one.

When my daughter was about four, like many fathers, I would fling her into the air and catch her. She’d squeal in delight as she flew through the air.

Well, as my wife always warns, I clearly don’t know my own strength and threw her too high and at an angle that had her falling behind me by about four feet.

I managed to spin around and leap to catch her. I was so proud of my ninja-like skills as I grabbed by her ankle – only to be horrified as her head just grazed off the ground.

I had grabbed her too low to the ground.

The idiot police came and revoked my goofy dad license later that afternoon.

I’m sure some of these are doctored, but amusing nonetheless.

@jeanmay: Photo number two was pretty much me.

@cprevite Yes, I thought of that pic when I read your post!

:: hangs head in shame ::

@cprevite Dude, did you read my story about the knife?!

@cprevite I knew a guy that did that and threw his baby into the moving ceiling fan, not meaning to throw the baby up that high. He said for that nano of a second that he realized what he had done, he just knew the baby was going to come back down, a bloody stump. The baby was not harmed.

@chyna Oh dear me!

@chyna: OK, now I feel better.

My husband was once walking in my mother’s house with one of ours on his shoulders. My mother started shouting his name and he ignored her, then walked the baby’s head smack into an archway. Oh – we have done many dumb things over the years!

I’m feeling a lot better about myself. :)

Here’s one that did make it onto video. When our daughter was a baby, we had this big, clunky VHS video camera. One day my husband was home alone with the baby. He sat her in a big armchair and tried to get her to smile and laugh for the camera. He got a little too close, and the camera slipped off his shoulder and onto the baby’s head. So, you see the baby smiling, then the camera starting to zoom in on her. Then the camera jiggles wildly, you hear a “thunk,” and then you hear the baby crying. My husband just dropped the camera to pick up the baby, so the video shows only carpet but in the background you can hear the baby crying and my husband saying over and over again, “Oh, Daddy’s sorry! Daddy’s so stupid!” It is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen, and even now I am cracking up. Baby was fine, not even a bruise, but hubby was scarred for life.

@MissAusten lol poor hubby!
that reminds me, I did something similar..but with snow. I went to kick some towards my little guy..and it was much fluffier than I thought it’d be. It went all over him. here’s the video lol

@casheroo Classic! I love his little face after you kick the snow at him! Awwww!