Have you ever managed to hurt or scare your own child? (By accident, of course.) I think it's safe to say most of us have been there at one time or another. I have some pretty cringeworthy memories of several major parenting fails from when my boys were little, including banging my newborn baby into a doorway, giving a toddler a sippy cup filled with mold, playfully leaping out and shouting "BOO!" at a child before he instantly dissolved in fearful tears, and smooching a small child on the cheek only to watch in shock as a giant kiss-shaped WELT appeared courtesy of the capsicum-filled lip plumper I'd been wearing at the time.
For anyone who's had to deal with the soul-crushing sensation of not only failing to protect your child, but actually being the person who caused the damage, take heart — lots of parents have horror stories that are just as bad (and in some cases, much worse) than yours. Take a look at this it's-only-funny-in-retrospect list of OMG I Broke My Kid moments:
I closed her fingers in the sliding glass door and tried to lock it, thinking she was crying because I wouldn't let her outside. Also, the day after she had kidney/bladder surgery, we misread her pain medicine dosage and gave her 0.1mL instead of 1.0mL ALL DAY. — TemerityJane
Kid asks for apple juice & I accidentally pour him apple cider VINEGAR. He says it tastes weird & I'm ANNOYED at him. #dadfail — Aaron
I couldn't figure out why the heavy lid of our upholstered storage ottoman wouldn't close – my 18-month-old's head was in the way. — Hannah
Touched his face with oven-mitts I had just used to take meat out of the oven. To the same kid: I once caused blistering burns when I sat him on a plastic water-filled toy that had been cooking in a hot car in July. — Zoot
I accidentally used his washcloth to wipe icy hot off my fingers right before he went to wash his face. Of COURSE it got in his eyes. — gwennyrah
2 of my children have been driven home from somewhere as infants, completely unbuckled on their carseats. Gaaaaah. — Jennifer
I ran him over with my car. I WIN. (He's fine. Was fine then, too.) — Emily
Left my 6mo sitting on the kitchen counter. As in, I was holding her there and then just left her and WALKED AWAY. — MomCheri
I gave my congested 4-month-old Little Noses drops… then realized it was Swim-Ear. Dang bottles are identical. We both cried a lot. — Lori
I thought my daughter was overreacting to some minor injury while SCREAMING because no visible injury… turned out a bee had gotten inside her shirt and was stinging her over and over. — PinkHerring
Husband dropped our one week old's head in a bowl of cereal. He flew backwards. Thank god he didn't choose oatmeal that morning. — Jo
I gave my kid rancid milk one time. He drank half like a champ and then stopped. I tasted to show him it was ok. It was NOT OK. 🙁 — Josh
Didn't realize my daughter needed new shoes until a daycare worker told me she'd outgrown them. Also, told my son to "play through the pain" after a sports injury and found out later he needed ACL surgery. — Heidi
I left out my flat iron (turned on) so my 2yo son could put it up to his MOUTH and burn his lips. — Courtney
I was making caramel sauce and not thinking let my two year old stick his finger in to taste it. Second degree burn ftw — JB
I just had surgery, K was running to give me a hug, I said "Stop!" and blocked with my crutches, and she headbutted the crutch. — Wendryn
How bout accidentally cutting off the tip of my 5 yr olds ring finger in a door jam , she's now 23. — Diane
My 5 yo & I were battling (in a fun, playful manner) &just as he moved his head I moved my knee and chipped two of his bottom teeth! — Honeybecke
I punched my kid in the face zipping up a jacket. My hand just flew off the thingy like a log ride! — DR Hoctor
I dropped a cell phone on my baby's head. She's ok, it seems. — Anne
I was in a pitch black nursery putting my son back to sleep. I greatly misjudged proximity and BASHED his head on the side of the crib rail. I can still hear the sound of his head hitting the wood and feel sick. — Samantha
I can't think of anything I've done to my own child, which mean it will definitely happen tonight. — Beth
Okay, your turn — what's the most awful thing you've accidentally done to your kid?
Image via © iStock.com/michaeljung
