Proof That Children Live By Their Own Rules And Parents Are Just Along For The Ride

Parenting is a rollercoaster ride, and no matter how many books you read or how much advice you get from other parents, your kids are going to throw you some curveballs.

Tiny humans live by their own rules, and you have no idea what those rules are, you just have to roll with it. Sometimes it's going to be great, other times they're going to climb into a claw machine at an arcade. It's all part of the fun!

24 Carrot Gold

carrots in the kitchen on all the cabinet handles
Photo Credit: Twitter / @madddiiison
Photo Credit: Twitter / @madddiiison

Sometimes, you need to just let your kid do whatever weird thing they've decided they want to do. As long as it's not going to hurt them, it's easier to let it happen than trying to reason with them.

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He's Ready To Drive Himself Home

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baby locked inside a car without parents
Photo Credit: Reddit / TheyCallMePOTS
Photo Credit: Reddit / TheyCallMePOTS
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Sure, he may have managed to lock himself inside the car without his parents, and emergency services had to be called, but how can you be mad when he looks so proud of himself?

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The Future Michael Jordan

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kids basketball photos ending in tears
Photo Credit: Reddit / justgivemepizza
Photo Credit: Reddit / justgivemepizza
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If your child played sports when they were younger, you know that there are few things more chaotic than team picture day. At least you've got four kids smiling—that's about as good as you could've hoped.

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She Cried Over Spilled Milk

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spilled milk everywhere but in the cup
Photo Credit: Reddit / YuuElise
Photo Credit: Reddit / YuuElise
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You want your kids to grow up to be independent adults who are contributing members of society, but you have to work your way up to that. It's not going to happen overnight, and in the meantime, you're going to have to clean up all the spilled milk.

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It Adds A Little Character To The Patio

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little boy walking through the wet sand
Photo Credit: Reddit / LadysGentleman
Photo Credit: Reddit / LadysGentleman
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How nice for this little boy that his dad built him the perfect wet sandbox right in their own backyard! Plus, he's never going to be able to wander away from the yard since his feet are going to be stuck to that concrete in a few minutes.

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Like Father, Like Son

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reclining in a toddler lazy boy
Photo Credit: Reddit / _timmie_
Photo Credit: Reddit / _timmie_
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After a long, hard day at pre-school, there's nothing better than putting your feet up and relaxing while watching Paw Patrol on the iPad. If you're lucky, your mom might even bring you a nice cold glass of juice.

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Have Kids, They Said, It'll Be Fun

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boy stuck in claw machine
Photo Credit: Twitter / @QTremendo
Photo Credit: Twitter / @QTremendo
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If you're thinking about having kids, put yourself in this boy's parents' shoes and think about what you would do if your child managed to climb his way into a claw machine at an arcade. Do you still want kids?

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Let Her Eat Cake

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little girl with cake all over her
Photo Credit: Reddit / MicroAggressiveMe
Photo Credit: Reddit / MicroAggressiveMe
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It's her birthday, she gets to eat her cake however she wants to, even if that means destroying it completely and denying every other party guest ever getting any cake for themselves.

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Don't Mind Him, He's Just In Crisis

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face down on the sidewalk because of his mittens
Photo Credit: Twitter / @SparkyROAR
Photo Credit: Twitter / @SparkyROAR
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Even if your kid is the best kid in the world and never throws tantrums or gets overly upset, there's going to be at least one time in his little life where he has a full-blown meltdown, like this little boy who was in crisis because "his gloves match his jacket."

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On The Outside Looking In

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dog outside looking in at the snacks
Photo Credit: Reddit / forrester1983
Photo Credit: Reddit / forrester1983
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You might have been worried that your child would feed your dog food he wasn't supposed to have, but what you should really be worried about is fixing the screen door after your dog busts through it to get to those goldfish.

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The Joys Of Fatherhood

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phone background of his daughter's friends
Photo Credit: Reddit / BoogerJankin
Photo Credit: Reddit / BoogerJankin
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A perk of being a father is once your kids get a little older and their friends start spending a lot of time at your house, you'll be able to entertain all of them at once simply by being yourself. Like this father, who discovered his 12-year-old daughter and her friends all use his "aggravated expression" as their phone background.

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They Take After Their Father

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two tired kids sitting eating breakfast
Photo Credit: Reddit / C-SPANdex
Photo Credit: Reddit / C-SPANdex
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Kids are supposed to be carefree and cheerful—they've got their entire lives ahead of them and no responsibilities! These kids, however, aren't going to be cheerful until after their morning cereal.

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That's The Last Time He'll Be In Charge Of Holding Dinner

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kid dropping the pizza out of the box
Photo Credit: Reddit / condefle
Photo Credit: Reddit / condefle
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We've all been there before, right? Okay, well, maybe not, but that's what we're going to tell him in order to get him to stop crying and get in the car.

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Keeping The Birthday Spirit Alive

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birthday card with a depressing message
Photo Credit: Reddit / Bubbaloosh
Photo Credit: Reddit / Bubbaloosh
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There's nothing nicer on your birthday than being reminded by your niece that you're one year closer to your imminent death. In her defense, she can't read and only picked the card because it had a cute dog on it—or so she claimed.

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Roll With The Punches

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kid dressed as pennywise for preschool halloween
Photo Credit: Reddit / Beastman99
Photo Credit: Reddit / Beastman99
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Sometimes, you get the child that wants to dress up like all the other kids in the class and wants to be a princess or a hockey player. Other times, you end up with the kid who wants to go to preschool dressed as Pennywise.

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He Loses A Tooth, You Lose The Upper Hand

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lost tooth and tricked parents
Photo Credit: Twitter / @RogueDadMD
Photo Credit: Twitter / @RogueDadMD
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Kids ask a lot of questions because that's how they learn, but sometimes they're going to ask questions that no parenting book prepared you for, and you're just going to have to wing it.

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A Mother's Love Knows No Limits

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kid lickin a pig at a petting zoo
Photo Credit: Imgur
Photo Credit: Imgur
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And this right here is why parents get sick all the time. Looks like you might want to toss some mouthwash into your bag alongside your hand sanitizer and Kleenex before your next trip to the zoo.

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Table Syrup Tears

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little boy crying over not being allowed to drink maple syrup
Photo Credit: Reddit / TheTonz
Photo Credit: Reddit / TheTonz
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If someone told us that we weren't allowed to drink table syrup straight out of the bottle, we'd ugly-cry for five minutes at the breakfast table too. It sucks when parents crush your dreams.

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This Is Why Grandpa Isn't Allowed To Take Him Shopping Anymore

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hiding in the freezer at the grocery store
Photo Credit: Reddit / robotbeard
Photo Credit: Reddit / robotbeard
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Based on the condensation, we'd say this little boy's been "hiding" behind this see-through door for quite a while, but at least he picked a good bunker for if he's hungry and wants a snack.

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Training For His Next Playground Fight

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baby planking like his mom does
Photo Credit: Reddit / trentluv
Photo Credit: Reddit / trentluv
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This baby's mom has a habit of doing planks around the house when she has a free minute or two—which wouldn't seem possible, considering she has two babies—and now her son has decided he needs to bulk up as well.

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Cherished Childhood Memories

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childhood memory of girl wearing weird pants
Photo Credit: Reddit / gronkflomarous
Photo Credit: Reddit / gronkflomarous
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You might not even remember it, but chances are there was at least one weird thing you did as a child that your parents had no explanation for, but they let it happen because it was easier than asking why you wanted to wear your pants like this.

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This Is What Happens When Mom Goes Away

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bubble bath explosion in the bathroom
Photo Credit: Imgur
Photo Credit: Imgur
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Never let the children talk you into letting them be in control of the bubble bath; otherwise, you'll end up like the dad who had to dig his daughters out of the bathtub.

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We Want The Confidence Of The Little Boy In The Background

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child holding stock photo that she thinks is herself
Photo Credit: Reddit / Trampolice
Photo Credit: Reddit / Trampolice
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How would you explain to your child that the random stock photo of a little girl in a picture frame at the craft store is not actually her? Because this little girl's mom was stumped.

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Honesty Is [Not] The Best Policy

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nostalgia is when you miss something old, like your parents
Photo Credit: Twitter / @NewDadNotes
Photo Credit: Twitter / @NewDadNotes
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We teach our children that honesty is always the best policy and that they should never lie, but sometimes it would be nice if they could keep their opinions to themselves.

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That's Enough Bike Riding For Today

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giving up on riding a bike
Photo Credit: Reddit / PoorMrX
Photo Credit: Reddit / PoorMrX
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She may have told you she wanted to ride a bike, but what she didn't realize is that she wasn't going to get it on the first try. Upon realizing that, she decided it would be easier to just sit on the ground, and honestly? We don't blame her.

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Hide-And-Seek Pros

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hide and seek professional under the rug
Photo Credit: Reddit / Damian411
Photo Credit: Reddit / Damian411
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Playing hide-and-seek with your children really reminds you of just how innocent children are, which is why it's so fun. This little girl, for instance, went with the "if I can't see you, you can't see me" method while trying to hide from her parents when she was supposed to be in bed.

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He's Cracked The Code

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the smart answer to a homework question
Photo Credit: Reddit / SourHero
Photo Credit: Reddit / SourHero
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Usually, if you hear your child laughing maniacally from another room, you'd be concerned about what you're going to find, but in this case, these parents walked in to find that their son had figured out the perfect answer to his homework question. Hope he shares his wealth!

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This Could've Been A Lot Worse

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child trying to find a size in a store
Photo Credit: Reddit / DomoIsMyCat
Photo Credit: Reddit / DomoIsMyCat
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This little guy was on the hunt for a specific size, and he was determined to find it, even if that meant taking apart a display. At least he had the respect to take them apart in piles instead of throwing them all over the store.

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Kids Do The Darndest Things

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child wearing mom's wig and scaring dad
Photo Credit: Twitter / @adex0057
Photo Credit: Twitter / @adex0057
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You baby-proof your house when your kid starts crawling, but what about all the things that your kid is able to get into during their toddler years that you wouldn't have thought about, like your wife's wigs?

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What More Do You Want From Her?

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christmas list that just says
Photo Credit: Reddit / mmmel
Photo Credit: Reddit / mmmel
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You obviously want to get your kids a gift they'll love for Christmas, and sometimes it can be hard to pin down what they actually want if they're a kid that changes their mind all the time. This little girl, though, gave her parents a very clear list of what she wants.