All moms mess up sometimes, and I’ll be the first to admit it. I’ve yelled at my kids in moments of sheer frustration, forgotten to attend an event for my Kindergartner, bribed my kids with candy and screen time — it happens. One mom on Reddit recently shared a parenting mistake she made with her toddler, and our hearts go out to her. It’s so hard to try to be a perfect mom all the time!
In the Parenting subreddit, a mom shared her story of how she “messed up so bad” last night.
“I’m 13 weeks pregnant and last night I was so tired I crawled into bed with my 3-year-old and told her we could watch a show on the iPad for bit,” the mom wrote. “We started watching PJ Masks and i fell asleep. Woke up at 5 am and she was still awake and still watching the iPad.”
Yikes! Her toddler probably thought she hit the jackpot — hours of unmonitored, uninterrupted screen time! What kid wouldn’t stay up all night to soak it up?
“I can’t believe it. Today is going to f*ck with her sleep schedule so bad. Ugh,” the mom added.
The mom probably felt awful when she woke up and saw her toddler still awake, so she wrote this quick post as a way to vent. Little did she know, Reddit would come through with the most surprisingly helpful words of encouragement.
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“If that’s your worst mess up, you’re doing great!” one person wrote, before offering some helpful advice. “Put the iPad/show on a timer next time if you’re able so if the kiddo is still awake when the show turns off they will either go to bed or wake you up and you can decide what to do next. :)”
What a compassionate, helpful comment. We understand needing to turn to the iPad to help your toddler fall asleep (pregnancy exhaustion on top of regular mom exhaustion is so, so hard!), and this person offered a creative solution that would help monitor screen time and let the mom get some rest. We love to see it!
Others were nice in their suggestions too. “Or set a nightly alarm for all your devices twenty minutes before her bedtime,” one person wrote. “Best case scenario you just swipe it away, worst case scenario you are saved from any extended snuggle naps.”
Another suggested “turning the brightness down all the way” and putting the sound on mute to put kids to sleep. Someone else found “on Netflix you can also make it go super slow, I set ours to half speed on Cocomelon. Everything is basically a lullaby.” Genius!
Other sympathetic parents shared their experiences with iPad use during pregnancy. “My second pregnancy was so brutal – nonstop nausea and puking and severe pelvic floor pain during a heatwave,” one mom wrote. “I spent a lot of afternoons sleeping on my bed while my four-year-old watched Paw Patrol on his iPad. I felt like an absolute garbage mom. He later told me he had the best summer ever because we got to snuggle and watch tv together on the bed. You’re doing your best and your kiddo totally fell asleep at one point. Good luck! You’ve got this.”
Others agreed that it’s likely the 3-year-old did get some sleep throughout the night. “Nah, a 3-year-old would eventually crash,” one person wrote. “When my kids were that age they’d fall asleep in the weirdest places and poses because they’d just crash. I highly doubt a 3-year-old could pull an all nighter.”
“100% she just woke up before you, that’s all,” someone else said. “Even if she hadn’t, this is one night, one time. Kid was always safe and happy. Could have been a lot worse.”
At the end of the day, parents are all just doing the best we can, and one TV night (even if it’s all night!) won’t change anything. “Oh honey. Lol, she will be fine. Just bump up nap time a little then get her to run herself out afterwards,” one person wrote. “Give yourself a break, you’re pregnant and tired I’m sure. This isn’t a f*ck up, it’s ok. One night shouldn’t mess up her schedule.”
Someone else wrote, “You are doing just fine as a parent. She is going to remember it as the best night of her life spent with her cool momma who let her watch PJ Masks ALL night! Trust me, it’s going to be a story she tells for many years … You are doing great Momma!”
In the wise words of Hannah Montana, “Everybody makes mistakes. Everybody has those days.” It’s going to be OK!
Before you go, check out our gallery on the coolest tech gadgets & laptops for back-to-school!
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