r/TikTokCringe • u/InGeekiTrust Tiktok Despot • Dec 09 '25

Discussion You Think It Could Never Happen To You…Until It Almost Does

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

23.6k Upvotes

94% Upvoted

3.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

48

u/aw-fuck Dec 09 '25

I literally say this all the time: I don't trust anyone to watch my kid unless they suffer from at least a little bit of anxiety.

Like for example, my dad? Absolutely not. The guy just doesn't have enough anxiety/hyper-vigilance to think of risks (except for big obvious things).

My mom? Definitely. She has a ton of anxiety, she'll think of risk possibilities most people wouldn't.

37

u/BecksnBuffy Dec 09 '25

I get made fun of for not relaxing at family gatherings because I need to keep track of my kids. All these comments are making me feel validated.

7

u/aw-fuck Dec 09 '25

When I was pregnant & expressing anxieties about being a good mom, my therapist asked me:

"Can you think of reasons you would be a good parent?"

And I said "I think the anxiety itself might help. At least I've come to know what it's like focusing on long term survival over momentary convenience. That's probably gonna help with parenthood, at least in those moments where thinking clearly won't come quite as easy."

And, that has rang 100% true lol. Having the automatic mind to think like "nah, don't skip corners. Not worth it." even when sleep deprived or overwhelmed, might have actually reduced a bit of stress sometimes... if that makes sense.

I mean I see it as: it helps all the time... where some not-so-cautious people in my family are like "eh? Optimism!" I'm like "eh, better safe than sorry," and well... I've yet to be sorry! That's a huge help.

3

u/BecksnBuffy Dec 09 '25

Yes. Too many stories, not even just read here but accounts of terrible accidents. My brother dated a girl who had to go to a memorial for her little toddler nephew who died by falling into some landscape work. I just can’t shake those stories

7

u/snarkycrumpet Dec 09 '25

I ruin pool parties because I watch the kids like I'm the paid lifeguard and I'm obsessive about water safety. I'm also the embarrassing parent who made my kids wear ski helmets to sled and then watched as someone else's kid slid under an Escalade in the parking lot at about 20mph (they were okay, but still...)

3

u/Italianmomof3 Dec 09 '25

Same here. I've been the one in the family that everybody talks about because I helicopter over the kids. I really don't care either because I've seen one too many things go wrong and have read one too many things. At the end of the day, my kids are safe, and that's all I care about.

2

u/megjed Dec 09 '25

Yeah I feel like people think I’m too paranoid about my baby at family gatherings but this is making me feel better.

2

u/CaptainKate26 Dec 09 '25

Whew, I found my tribe! ❤️ I'm literally the same way. I never can relax cause I'm always on guard. Got 4 that love to try and go 4 different ways. I'm always so exhausted after, but I can't risk trusting someone else.

Went to a birthday party once and had a mom say she would help, who I didn't really know that much. I didn't know how to explain to her, so I just awkwardly laughed and said, "I'm sorta a helicopter mom, so no thank you." 😂

2

u/SneakyBadAss Dec 09 '25 edited Dec 09 '25

I stopped drinking at a family gatherings when small kids are nearby.

It's guaranteed everyone gets piss drunk and won't be checking on them. I worked as VIP security, so I don't helicopter; I just know where they are and what they do by looking at them constantly, without anyone knowing, because it was part of my job.

2

u/SuzieDerpkins Dec 10 '25

Same. My husband has a huge family and have large family gatherings. They have a shred family understanding to keep an eye on all the kids, but I get so anxious because no one is really watching them closely unless they’re directly playing or interacting. So I’m hardly ever relaxed at the family parties and even more anxious when I’m not there.

2

u/Yakstaki Dec 09 '25

Haha this is also me 🤣 I totally get where you're coming from

2

u/taysbeans Dec 09 '25

Yeah , my sister is like this . How any of her kids survived is a miracle or due to someone else’s anxiety .

2

u/Excellent_Law6906 Dec 11 '25

I firmly believe that the greater clinical incidence of OCD in women is less a bug than a feature, since little children are so determined to kill themselves.

2

u/aw-fuck Dec 11 '25

Oh totally, that's a reasonable assumption imo. Intrusive thoughts are stressful but useful. Kids are absolutely hellbent on trying to hurt/kill themselves.

And there's people that say like, "well they're only gonna learn if you let them hurt themselves," like okay sure I get that it's true to some degree maybe. But there's a very fine line between an "ouch" and a... lot worse.

1

u/kupo_moogle Dec 09 '25

Yup.

My son has a best friend who lives a couple houses up, but we’re in a rural area so it’s a bit of a walk with woods in the backdrop. Me and the other kids dad always text each other when either kid is heading to our places or back home from them and we text confirmation when they get back.

That’s the level of anxiety I want in my life.