The 33 signs you're the annoying parent everyone hates

The 33 signs you're the annoying parent everyone hates
Source: Daily Mail Online

If you can't resist a gloat about your child's reading age and impeccable sleeping routine, you might think you're sailing through the trials and tribulations of parenthood.

But, according to Laura Windsor, known as the 'Queen of Etiquette', you could risk becoming the person at the school gates nobody wants to be - the almost universally disliked 'annoying parent'.

It can be tempting to brag about your child's every minor success, talk about them with strangers and post them incessantly on social media - with their face obscured, obviously.

But by indulging their every whim, from iPad screentime to making as much noise as they like in public places, it's likely other parents will begin to harbour a grudge.

You may have even developed some classic parenting habits that seem to come with the territory, but is your child really 24 months, or are they a two-year-old?

And is it really appropriate for them to start eating snacks in supermarkets before going to the till, or dipping their fingers into shared food?

It's easy to become wrapped up in the parenting and family bubble, but if your child is making a racket in a public restaurant or screaming in a cinema, it's not just your own ears that'll be affected.

Read on to explore Laura's ultimate guide revealing the most irritating parents around - and how to avoid it yourself.

These are the 33 signs that you're the annoying person everyone hates, revealed by etiquette expert Laura Windsor.

The signs you're the annoying parent everyone hates...

  1. You refuse to tell your child 'no' and instead say things like 'gentle hands!' while they are battering other children
  2. ...or you tell them they should give as good as they get, teaching 'tit for tat' instead of self-control
  3. You let them run around public places, like pubs or restaurants, without keeping them in check
  4. Allowing them to watch iPads on full volume with no headphones while out and about
  5. ...and interpreting a 'day out with the kids' as sitting in a coffee shop with every member of the family on a tablet, computer or phone
  6. Letting them kick the chair in front while flying
  7. Telling other parents how well they sleep, and then reciting your exact routine
  8. You post incessant images of your child on social media... but then put an emoji over their face
  9. Any form of helicopter parenting
  10. Referring to your kid's age in months when they are older than one
  11. Opening packets of crisps/sweets for them to eat in a supermarket before they've been paid for
  12. Valuing your child's opinions in a conversation with adults
  13. ...or allowing them to interrupt conversations and not telling them to wait till you've finished
  14. Pregnant women who call their child 'baby' rather than 'THE baby'
  15. Not letting them eat what the other kids are eating at parties (genuine allergies aside)
  16. Dressing boys in knee socks and shorts with Cath Kidston jumpers. You are not the Princess of Wales
  17. Speaking very loudly (translation: performatively) to a child who is not old enough to understand or speak back
  18. ...or giving long, detailed instructions to your child in a loud voice about exactly how things are done, when they ARE old enough to understand
  19. Asking questions in the parents' WhatsApp group instead of reading emails from the school
  20. Doing your children's art projects or homework for them
  21. Giving your child a smartphone when they're still in primary school because 'they wanted one'
  22. Allowing your children to use the Tube as a playground - swinging from the bars and climbing the poles - or letting them have a seat each when public transport is crowded
  23. Putting shoes on public seats - or worse, at your friends' houses
  24. Allowing them an inappropriate amount of power in decision-making - it's not up to your child when they go home
  25. Constantly bragging about your child's successes... your peers won't care about their 'incredible' reading age
  26. Talking about inappropriate topics in front of your children... and having them repeat your political views or opinions in front of others
  27. ...Or swearing in front of them
  28. Taking them weddings as 'they're so well behaved' - even if it's adults only
  29. Still sending your child to sleepovers even when they’re ill
  30. Being a 'tiger mum' - over-scheduling your child's agenda to show how busy and successful they are
  31. Letting your kids get their ears pierced at a young age... now everyone in their class wants to copy them
  32. Letting your children dip their grubby hands into sharing bowls of snacks/dips and saying 'it's good for everyone's immune system'
  33. Being that bit too competitive about bake sales and sports days and shouting instructions at your child from the sidelines

Laura Windsor, dubbed the Queen of Etiquette, runs an Etiquette Academy at laurawindsoretiquette.com.