Parenting is both a tough and rewarding job, which makes for great stories across the board.
We cover them all – or at least as many as we can – here at Metro Parent. And let us tell you, there’s been some interesting parenting and family moments this year.
From a “death metal granny” that we think it the absolute coolest to the dumbest parenting challenges and a few instances that really make you think, here are our 10 Oh Mother top parenting stories of 2019, from the earliest to the latest.
1. Bird Box memes
Just before the year started, Netflix released the hit R-rated movie Bird Box, which was based on the novel by Detroit rocker John Malerman.
This movie followed a reluctant mom trying to get two toddlers to safety in the midst of an unforeseen force that causes those who see it to commit suicide. So, naturally, the trio spent the entire movie blindfolded.
Wrangling toddlers without your eyes? Hah! What a pipe dream (we give serious props to parents who have visual impairments that do it daily!). Parents and kids alike found the irony in that and the internet went wild with memes that both embraced and poked fun at the notion.
2. Toddler under arrest
In late January, a video of a Florida toddler who approached cops – who had their guns drawn – with her arms in the air went viral.
At first, many thought that the toddler was being placed under arrest, but it later came to light that her father was being arrested under suspicion of armed robbery.
The video was a stark reminder that parents need to talk to their kids about how to interact with police – and also raised some questions on how the police react in situations involving kids.
3. A granny that rocks
In February of this year, 97-year-old Holocaust survivor, Inge Ginsberg, made waves on the internet with viral videos of her death metal performances.
Ginsberg went hard on YouTube with her backup band of skeleton-clad musicians as she used her fierce voice to take on fascism, ageism and other important issues.
4. The cheesed challenge
2019 had no shortage of stupid internet challenges. The first of which was the “cheesed” challenge, which had people throwing slices of cheese at their babies to see if it would stick.
It went viral in March of this year as video after video of cheese-laden babies surfaced. Most of the kids either cried or looked offended – as one should when someone lobs cheese at your face.
The fad seemingly died out rather quickly but still left us face-palming and asking, “why?”
5. Sued over porn
Most parents would throw away their kid’s stash of porn and most kids would likely just sulk about it for a while before discovering all the naked people on the internet, but one adult kid took it a step further and sued his parents for it.
The unnamed man moved in with his parents after a divorce in 2016 and estimated that his trashed stash was a $29,000 value. He attempted to sue his parents for a whopping $87,000.
His parents claim that it was “for his own good.” We have no update on whether or not he got his payday.
6. Attack bird
We’ve all known someone that has kept a dog as protection, but an attack bird is a new one for us.
One little girl taught her bird how to attack whenever she screamed. A three-second video of the trick went viral in May of this year and racked up nearly 1.85 million likes.
7. Get That Money Challenge
Another dumb internet challenge for parents arose this summer in the form of the “Get That Money Challenge.”
For this challenge, parents would drop a credit card down the wall and their kids would get to spend money if they caught it with their head.
When we covered it back in June, no kids ended up with a card at the end of the challenge – but a lot did end up with bumps on the heads.
8. College admissions scandal
No, no, no, we’re not talking the sleazy scandal involving a Hallmark star. This college admission scandal was far more disheartening than some rich brats buying their kids’ way into college.
In August of 2019, it came to light that parents were actually giving up custody of their kids to help them get college financial aid. Is it a sign that college is too expensive for the average parent and child?
We think yes – and feel for parents so desperate to help their kids get into college that they have to take such measures.
9. Childhood cancer reality-check
In September 2019, one mom shared a gut-wrenching photo of daughter supporting her son as he threw up.
Her 4-year-old son has cancer and the photo drew strong reactions on social media, where it went viral for showing the raw struggle of a family of a child with cancer.
10. Drinking Culture on Blast
In mid-November, American TV personality Heidi Montag shared a photo of herself drinking from a wine bottle – and one fellow mom who is in recovery from alcohol use disorder wasn’t having it.
She wrote an open letter to Montag calling the display irresponsible and pointed out the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption.
She made a fantastic point, in our opinion, and really sparked an online debate on whether or not “mommy drinking culture” is truly as harmless as it seems.
Did you read or hear any other parenting stories that didn’t make our list? Tell us about them in the comments – and weigh in on the ones we have listed here, too.
