A thread asking Redditors to identify parenting tactics that damage children has drawn nearly 2,000 upvotes and more than 960 comments as of publication. Many users are sharing specific, sometimes painful examples from their own childhoods.
The original poster, posting in r/AskReddit with a "serious replies only" tag, asked what common parenting habits are actually harmful. The responses that followed focused on emotional dismissal, broken trust and long-term effects on adult relationships.
One of the most-upvoted responses, with nearly 5,000 upvotes, pointed to parents who get angry when children make mistakes or try to express emotions. They argued that this teaches kids to stop being honest.
Several commenters described a related pattern: parents who promise not to overreact, only to punish or gossip about what their child confided in them. One person said this taught them to "never tell them anything again."
Mockery came up repeatedly as a specific complaint. One commenter said their parents would laugh at them for crying or mimic them when they got excited, and said the family now wonders why their kids don't share personal news with them anymore.
They said, "My parents used to mock my siblings and me if we showed any emotion. Sad and crying? My parents would laugh. Excited and talking a little too fast? They would mimic. Now they wonder why we never share any personal news with them"
Sharing children's private information with other adults was another frequent target. Multiple commenters described parents who told relatives or family friends about private struggles, first periods, crushes or personal setbacks. One user said it made it impossible to trust their mother with anything personal.
A different comment focused on double standards around emotional expression, describing a mother who scolded a teenager for being upset "about nothing," which the commenter said is why they still struggle to be honest with her as an adult.
Body image also emerged as a theme, with one commenter describing the effect of hearing a parent constantly criticize their own appearance. "It hurt my heart to hear her say, 'I'm so fat,' or, 'I'm so ugly,'" the comment read, adding that to them, their mother had always seemed like the most beautiful person in the world.
Another highly discussed comment argued against shielding kids from every hardship. The commenter suggested that never letting children fail deprives them of the tools to handle failure later, and that genuine confidence comes from having navigated setbacks, not from having been protected from them.
