We know that Hollywood takes many liberties when it comes to portraying life exactly as it happens to regular people. They make changes for all sorts of reasons – story, setting, aesthetic, and on and on – but it can be frustrating and annoying when they seriously never get something right.

As a writer, I can tell you, 100%, they never ever get publishing right.

And as a parent? It’s pretty rare that the experience looks just like it does for most of us. Even so, these 15 things they insist on having parents do are particularly, egregiously, wrong.

15. Some people have very understanding parents.

“How easily they can get a babysitter, with next to no planning in advance, so they can have a night out.

Whenever I go out without my kids, I have to plan it at least two weeks in advance around my loved one’s work schedule to make sure they’re available to babysit.”

14. Nobody has time for that.

“When the mom makes a grand breakfast spread, then the kid walks in, takes one bite, and doesn’t even say ‘thank you.’

No one has time to make that in the morning. At my house, you eat a bowl of cereal or toast or you starve.”

13. We got her from a service. It’s fine.

“These parents always seem totally OK with leaving their children with a babysitter who is a total stranger.”

12. They just sort of skip over the initial freak out.

“When a kid or teen does something catastrophic and the parent is shocked for a moment, then sits down with them and is like, ‘Sweetie, are you doing this because you miss our old house?’

And then they have a tearful heart-to-heart with a dramatic hug at the end. In reality, it would be more like “WHAAAAT?! YOU STOLE AND CRASHED MY CAR YOU’RE NEVER GOING OUTSIDE AGAINNN!!!!!”

11. It depends on who they’re with, I suppose.

“When Mommy and Daddy are out on a nice dinner date or whatever, they never call or text to check on the kids.”

10. It certainly wasn’t my experience.

“It drives me crazy how women have babies in movies and TV. One moment she’s totally fine, then her water randomly breaks in a big puddle and she’s instantly in active labor. That’s not how it works.”

9. If there were teenagers like this in high school, I sure didn’t know them.

“That the parent knows everything about their child’s life (like Rory and Lorelai in Gilmore Girls)!” 

8. Kid actors are unpredictable, but at least make an effort.

“In TV shows, characters are always pregnant for like a whole season and it’s such a big thing, but once they actually give birth, we never see the child again — the kid is always with a sitter or visiting family.” 

7. They’re better parents than most of us.

“I always laugh when parents say to their kids, ‘Honey, can you go into the other room?’ whenever they’re about to have an argument.

Most of the time, parents just start the argument or conversation regardless of whether a kid is there.”

6. Yeah, all of that definitely happens.

“Nothing changes for them after having a kid! They have no financial problems or issues with sleep or hormones or stress or physical recovery.

They don’t have piles of laundry everywhere and spit up on their clothes, no messy buns and yoga pants. They don’t lose friends who are at different places in their lives.”

5. Wait, we’re not supposed to leave them alone?!

“It bugs me when adults with a baby or toddler have a full scene without their child present, or with the kid toddling in to do something cute and then toddling out.

Like, why are you sitting around while your baby roams the house unsupervised?! (I’m looking at you, Full House.)”

4. They’re always so well-behaved (if funnily cheeky)!

“I absolutely hate how in TV and movies they never show the character’s babies or toddlers throwing tantrums.

Especially when they’re in that ‘terrible twos’ stage where they throw tantrums at the drop of a pin!”

3. It seems impossible, TBH.

“I find it weird that parents of babies and toddlers have so much free time to hang out with their love interests.

I can’t imagine trying to navigate a new or complicated romance while taking care of a newborn or young baby.”

2. Or how much Benedryl their parents gave them.

“Whenever I see perfectly compliant kids quietly playing in the background of scenes, I wonder what lab they must have been grown in.”

1. It’s just making men think it’s normal and okay.

“My mom has always had a problem with the old TV trope of the bumbling, idiotic, ineffectual dad.”

I am rolling my eyes right now, seriously!

Do you have other pet peeves about movie and television parents?

Share them with us in the comments!