10 Embarrassing Moments That Happen in Front of Your Kids

There’s something about a humiliating moment that seems amplified if your children are present. Our faces burn a little bit hotter when the kids witness our less-than-stellar moments, but it’s an inevitable part of life and also of parenthood. Here are ten of the moments that we all wish our children wouldn’t see.

1. Fight With the Spouse – Arguing with your spouse can be embarrassing enough on it’s own; add a room full of pint-size spectators, and it becomes an adventure in mortification.
2. Drinking Too Much – Even the most conscientious parents can have one tipple too many on a festive occasion, leading to some silly behavior. Kids that accidentally witness your not-so-sober antics can make for an even more embarrassing morning after.
3. Hangover – If you managed to slip past the kids when you had one too many drinks, you’re not out of the woods until you’ve ridden out the next day’s payback. Feeling sick and looking like roadkill is just the icing on an embarrassing cake.
4. Slips and Falls – Trips, spills, falls and slips can do more damage to our pride than our bodies. Taking a header when you’re trying to show off is even worse; kids will scream with laughter as you struggle to keep the shreds of your dignity intact.
5. Scolded By Your Own Parents – For some reason, parents have a fundamental inability to stop treating their adult progeny like children. When our parents scold us well in to adulthood, it’s typically just irritating. When they do it in front of our children, it’s humiliating.
6. Getting a Speeding Ticket – There’s nothing like a brush with authority in front of the kids to take you down a few notches. Older children also have quite the talent for mildly taunting their parents about getting pulled over, which just adds to the shame.
7. A Lecture From the Principal – Getting called into the principal’s office because of your child’s behavior is embarrassing in itself; when those antics lead to a lecture from the principal as your child looks on, it can feel as if your skills as a parent are being called into question.
8. Altercation With the Neighbor – The snarly neighbor that loves to pick a fight can be an endless source of shame for a parent, as they typically don’t hesitate to make insulting remarks that can embarrass the toughest mom or dad. When your kids hear these cutting remarks, it can make the entire situation spin out of control.
9. Fender Benders – Minor car accidents are just embarrassing, even more so when you’re the party at fault. When your kids are in the car, the whole experience can become a shameful one.
10. Fighting With Your Siblings – Parents with more than one child spend a significant amount of their time trying to teach the importance of getting along with one another. All of those lessons go out the window the first time they see you fighting with your own siblings; this scenario can make a parent feel like a hypocrite.

Though it can be painful to have these experience in the presence of your children, it’s important to remember that your children can learn valuable lessons from them.

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