People Share Their Best 'My Parent Is An Idiot!' Experiences

I'm loathe to label anyone as dumb, but I will admit some people make less than logical choices.

And some of those people have procreated. It's difficult sometimes to admit our parents are less than perfect.

But in some cases...

Reddit user LordEndroz asked:

"Children of dumb parents, what made you realize your mother\father is an idiot, and how do you deal with it?"

Online "Experts"

"My mother routinely comes to conclusions based on very little information and then refuses to change her mind because she's 'been right before, this is no different'.

"Being right once 10 years ago about a broke down vehicle doesn't qualify you to be a computer expert today. Nor are you an expert because you watch some YouTube videos."

~ malitove

Jurassic Equines

"We were watching Jurassic Park, and in the middle of the movie my mom said: 'What are these things? Wild horses or something?'."

~ nemosevgi

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MAGA

"She said the United States would be invaded by China by the Fourth of July because Trump wasn't President. That was in 2021."

"I bet her $100 that wouldn’t happen. Neither of us have brought it up since that Fourth of July in 2021 and I would rather not, because now she doesn’t make such bold claims in front of me—in fear of reminding me she owes me $100."

"I enjoy the break from crazy MAGA claims more than I want $100."

"I love my mom, but man, that’s stupid."

~ Lockski

Time Travel

"I couldn't get my mom to understand why you couldn't watch a baseball game in Eastern Standard Time (EST), then get on a plane to a betting hall in Pacific Standard Time (PST) and place a wager because 'it would be 3 hours later and they wouldn't know the score yet'."

"I couldn't educate her on real time."

"I love her anyways, she is my mom. She did the best she can."

"Now, she is 75 and I can't tell if she's confused or her dingy self. But, she did the best she could, and even though limited, her intent is always good."

~ NachoOrdinary

Fertilizer

"My mom once asked me if it was true that if a dog pooped under a fruit tree, the fruit would be filled with poop."

"I still wonder if I imagined this, because I was so stunned she asked. But she did ask."

"She had fruit trees, and the family dog sometimes pooped under them."

~ EstroJen

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Fiscally Illiterate

"My parents complete financial ineptitude."

"I understood we don't have much money when I was... 9?10? Didn't wish for anything or kept myself on a VERY limited budget since I had been 12/13."

"Paid for every school excursion myself from the money I got for Christmas/birthdays/etc... Wore clothes until they literally fell off me."

"Just to watch my parents wasting every bit of money we had for the biggest bullsh*t we never needed. I slowly died inside."

"Noped out when I was 18. I'm so grateful here in Germany I could still study with financial support."

"Limiting my contact to 1-2 visits a year despite them living only 2 hours away. Just can't bear it."

~ Niggoo0407

Pseudoscience

"My mother thought she knew better than doctors because of some quack she watched online—probably RFK Jr.—and gave us f*cking steroids every time we got sick, as kids. It was a mild steroid, but, well, it f*cked up my brother's life."

"He has had thyroid problems since childhood, struggling with weight issues to this day."

"I developed 'very unlikely' conditions for my age and sex demographic. I can't tell how much of it was damage from her ad hoc 'expertise'—she didn't even complete a BA degree, let alone an MD—or just the general trauma of living with a mother who 'did the research'."

~ formerFAIhope

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Emotionally Stunted

"Stupid is a strong word."

"But I did have to confront the disappointing realization of how emotionally stunted they are."

"Part of that is almost certainly due to trauma. They’re decent people overall. But BOY do they have a complex web of unhealthy coping mechanisms that (as an adult) I know like the back of my hand."

"I wish I could have difficult conversations with them. But I’ve accepted that I can’t and probably never will."

"My mother will shut down and tune out things she doesn’t want to hear. My father will get defensive and lash out."

"They literally just don’t have the bandwidth for emotional complexity. A little push, and it’s straight to fight or flight."

"…It is what it is."

~ Ignoth

Stung

"I was 14, was really enjoying biology and learning animal fun facts."

"Mom had taught me that the difference between bees and wasps was that bees stung and wasps bit. But in school and online, I found out that wasps stung and that the difference was just general morphology and behavior."

"I told her all of this because, hey, fun fact, and we can now both be smarter about this thing she was misinformed about. I even showed her a picture of a wasp and pointed out the stinger."

"She just said 'no, wasps bite, not sting' and refused to budge."

"There have been plenty of other things she has said and done to make me think she is dumb since then, but that wasp thing was the turning point."

~ calystegiasepium

"Not accepting being wrong and learning from it is the hallmark of dumb people."

~ Malik316

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Rupert Murdoch Effect

"Kept dictating how the 'real world' works and we figured out my father was just parroting the politically biased news."

"We had a show called BTN or Behind the News in Australia. Aimed at giving context around the news, but also we had teachers at school that would watch and discuss topics with us."

"I couldn't stand watching 'the news'—typically from the private networks—with my father because of how it felt manipulative of the common voters opinions, and how the Sunday Mail (popular newspaper) was full of complete and utter bullsh*t."

"Now we have Sky News which is like Fox News and I cannot f*cking stand people that drink that sh*t up."

~ Hypno--Toad

Dinosaurs & Dragons

"The day my mum told me she didn't believe in dinosaurs and that they were fake, like dragons."

"I just couldn't even..."

~ Straight-Extreme-966

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JFGI

"I had suspected it for years, but always held my dad to a higher standard because I was a daddy's girl. I knew my mother wasn't that smart, but she had odds stacked against her (mental illness and learning disabilities)."

"What really sealed it was after my dad retired (couldn't afford to, but that's another story) he decided to treat themselves to a trip to Jamaica, because they hadn't been anywhere by themselves in 30 years."

"They got ready, went to the airport (plane tickets and hotel reservations were made) WITHOUT passports. You see we took a family trip to Jamaica in 1990 without passports, so it must mean you don't need them now."

"I asked again the night before they left if they had them (was trying to give hints) and was quickly shot down again saying it wasn't necessary. You would think it would have caused an inkling of doubt enough to do a quick Google search, but not my Dad."

"They lost a ton of money, but still went to Jamaica six months later WITH passports this time."

~ Apprehensive-Fox1635

Well Meaning

"I have a parent who suggests I pray harder if I mention any issue. I have a solid spiritual life but believe in medical science, psychotherapy, and asking for services and help I need."

"She doesn't get sarcasm, doesn't get my profession, and is unable to follow the logic of a structured argument."

"It's frustrating to realize that she will never understand me on a deeper level. But I love her, and she's very tolerant and loving."

"I know that if she doesn't get something or is reactive, it's not malicious. I just have to adjust my expectations and simplify my vocabulary."

~ GreenElementsNW

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Denial

"My dad will yell 'NOPE, NOPE, NOPE!' in response to a fact that I have clear evidence of being true."

"My mom will scramble for literally anything to say in response in an indignant tone."

"Then, a month later, I will hear her repeat what I had said in that conversation to someone else."

~ 69schrutebucks

Selective Intelligence

"My father isn't dumb in all things. He's quite smart in a few!"

"The biggest weakness he has is an inability to learn and admit when he's wrong. Unwillingness to change your view and perspective is the biggest dumb thing you can do."

"So if he doesn't get something right on the first go, he doesn't improve on it ever. Hence why he was a climate change denier in the early 2000's, and now that it's become undeniable he thinks it's not a result of human action or something."

"I read that 'Green bell peppers are just less ripe Red bell peppers' and he said I was stupid. After proving myself right, he found a tweet from some random dude that said that 'Green peppers are different from Red Peppers'."

"I found the same person's Twitter and he had later clarified he was talking about flavor and cooking. He had even tweeted, 'Just to be clear, yes Green and Red Bell peppers are the same just at different stages of ripeness'."

"But when I showed that to him, he just didn't acknowledge me being correct and left. Ignoring the evidence that contradicts you is pretty dumb."

~ Jolzeres

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Did your parents grasp of information ever disappoint you?