Few things in life are as ideally designed to keep us humble as the experience of parenting. We can have the perfect pregnancy (though there really is no such thing as a perfect when it comes to pregnancy), we can read all the books, buy all the right organic food and toys, and decide what parenting philosophy is going to result in tons of sleep and completely well-adjusted, happy kids. And then we actually have the kid and realize that failure is basically inevitable.
The good news is that when we have an epic parenting fail — as we all will — we are in good company. Plenty of parents, including some of our favorite celeb moms and dads, have fessed up about their parenting fails. And we have to admit that it makes us love them even more. There is something really empowering about keeping it real about the fact that even the most loving parents sometimes make mistakes. Yep, parents can fail and the kids can still be okay.
It turns out that no kid has actually died of parental embarrassment, and even the biggest goofs can be something that everyone can laugh about later. So for anyone who is worried that someone is going to confiscate that "World's Greatest Mom" coffee mug, read on for some very funny moments when celeb parents failed, too.
Jennifer Garner
Ryan Reynolds
We adore funnyman Ryan Reynolds and love that he confessed that his first parenting fail happened on the first day he was a dad! He told late-night host Seth Meyers that while his wife Blake Lively was in labor, he biffed the labor playlist and started playing "Let's Get It On." That may be the least appropriate childbirth song ever!
Halle Berry
Like many of us, Halle Berry has felt that surge of fear and panic that comes in the moment when it seems like a kid might be missing. She once lost her daughter, Nahla, in a store, freaked out, screamed for someone to close the store down, and then realized her kiddo was just hanging out inside the clothes rack next to her.
Hilary Duff
There are some ideas that are just so easy to see in hindsight that there was no way it was going to end well. As Hilary Duff discovered in 2014, one of those is taking a squirming, squirrely toddler to a place filled with delicate, breakable, and expensive glass pieces. A 2-year-old in a Christmas ornament store is bound to be a parenting fail!
Pink
Honestly, the whole Elf on the Shelf thing is actually designed to create parenting fails. Having to move the dang thing every day and create new scenarios is a lot of pressure! It's way too easy to forget to relocate the sucker, just like Pink's kids discovered.
Chrissy Teigen
Even the most adorable kids in the world (which, hello, totally includes Chrissy Teigen and John Legend's cuties Luna and Miles!) sometimes are just totally over it when it comes to getting pictures taken. The mom fail comes from trying to keep going for that perfect shot when a toddler is fully ready to kill the vibe.
Kelly Ripa
Is it a parenting fail to both embarrass and troll your kids on social media? Hard to say, but Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos love to share PDA and flirt with each other on social media, much to the dismay of their three children. A perfect example is when Kelly commented on one of Mark's posts wishing their son a happy birthday, quipping back, "You know what? Making him was so much fun."
