Teacher Says Loser Parents Raise Loser Kids — ‘I Can’t Tell Them Their Daddy’s Dumb’
How educators are affected by bad parenting.
ESB Professional | Shutterstock A teacher who goes by kaminacation on TikTok took to the app to vent her frustration regarding how parents influence their children. The teacher’s frustration stemmed from the knowledge that many of her students would eventually realize that the advice they were raised on wouldn't get them very far in life.
To put it bluntly, she stated, "loser parents raise loser kids." She argued that as these kids mature and begin to understand the real world, they might look back and regret following their parents’ guidance, especially if it was built on a foundation of poor decisions or limited perspectives. As a teacher, she understood that she couldn't openly tell students the truth about their parents — that they are simply not the best or brightest.
A teacher complained that one of the hardest parts of her job is dealing with kids who don't realize their parents aren't doing a good job raising them.
Without mincing words, kaminacation stated, "They're just kids, and they don't know. They don't know that you suck as a parent ... They don't know that you're actually a loser."
Kaboompics.com | Canva Pro
It's only natural that children look up to their parents as their role models, believing that every piece of advice given to them is solid and trustworthy. Teachers have witnessed this firsthand — they witness their students taking advice from parents who, in many cases, are unqualified to provide it. These kids trust their parents’ guidance, not knowing that the advice they are receiving is not only flawed but deeply harmful to their growth and development.
This puts educators in a difficult situation. They can’t openly contradict the bad advice given to their students. Kaminacation humorously expressed her desire to be brutally honest with her students, wishing she could tell them that the advice that they've been receiving is “dumb.” However, educators must have professional ethics and understand that it's unfortunately not their place to undermine the parents. The real challenge is knowing that these kids will likely only realize the flaws in their upbringing when it’s too late to reverse the damage.
Parenting has a huge impact on a child's future success.
Children receiving bad advice will only lead them to a deeper issue: the long-term effects of poor parenting on a child’s future. As we all know, parents shape who we are in the beginning stage of our lives, whether that be our worldview, work ethic, or ambitions. If parents set a poor example — whether by failing to be self-sufficient, providing limited opportunities for growth, or offering outdated or uninformed advice — it can severely lower the child’s ability to succeed later in life.
In fact, research from 2002 found that positive parenting, which UC Davis defined as "showing children love" and "guiding children to act the way you want by encouraging and teaching them," was linked to improved performance in school and fewer behavioral issues. For many kids not receiving that positive parenting, the only influence in many instances is their teachers.
Mikhail Nilov | Canva Pro
While teachers may not be able to directly challenge a child’s parent, they do play an important role in shaping how children think and approach the world. Despite the obstacles created by poor parenting, teachers have the opportunity to provide guidance, support, and alternative perspectives that help students navigate life in a way that they might not get at home. Remember that one teacher you had back in grade school who you loved? Go back and thank them; they were only ever looking out for you.
Teachers can provide the wisdom, encouragement, and critical thinking skills that many students may not be receiving from their parents. Educators are often the ones who step in to offer opportunities for students to learn life skills, work ethic, and decision-making that their parents may not have taught them — and who can blame them? Their goal is to see you succeed.
Teachers today are taking on much more than just guiding children on their educational journey.
Kaminacation’s TikTok video highlighted the complex reality of parenting and education. Teachers often find themselves in a difficult position, seeing firsthand the consequences of poor parenting while being unable to directly challenge the flawed advice children are receiving.
Writing for teacherevolution, teacher and mom Kyleen Grey noted, "I remember my parents (and grandparents) teaching me a wide variety of skills as a child and adolescent." She went on to list a variety of life skills, from tying shoes to making eye contact when speaking to adults. Adding, "This isn’t to say that many of these skills weren’t learned or reinforced in school — they absolutely were, but I had a ‘double dose’ of learning as my family and the school system worked together to support my education."
The difference today is some kids are getting zero to no life-skill learning lessons at home with their parents. That is taking a toll on teachers. Grey wrote, "As educators, we’ve felt our stress loads rise as parenting declines. We were once responsible for general academia, behaviour modification and basic physical education, but our portfolios have quickly expanded and blurred the lines of parent and teacher. It is not uncommon for teachers to feel the need to teach their students basic life skills they should be learning at home: tying shoes, personal hygiene, simple social skills, manners, basic information about the need for sleep and nutrition and outdoor physical activity, etc."
Despite this, teachers still play a pivotal role in helping students think critically and develop important life skills. While parents are normally the first and most significant influence on a child’s life, teachers can serve as important role models to look up to in the future. We all need to be mindful of how hard our educators are working and that cutting school funding and resources is a recipe for disaster for many struggling kids.
Erika Ryan is a writer working on her bachelor's degree in Journalism. She is based in Florida and covers relationships, psychology, self-help, and human interest topics.