Most of us love our parents, but let's be honest, they can sometimes embarrass us in ways we'd rather forget. And for those who grew up with entitled parents, those moments can be even harder to live down.

We dove into different online threads to find stories from children of “Karens” and the embarrassing situations their parents put them through. Keep scrolling, Pandas, and you might find yourself appreciating your parents a little more!

#1

TOO MANY TO COUNT. However, once my adoptive mom tried to pay for Starbucks with THEIR tip jar money..I apologized profousely and paid for it.

#2

My mom was pissed that my high school band teacher didn't give me a bigger solo. We were driving home in the pouring rain. My dad was like you can come home or cause a scene and walk home in the rain. My mom chose to yell at my teacher despite me saying no.

My band teacher pulled me aside the next day and told me not to let that experience cause me to give up music.

#3

My mom had bought a very large fur rug for me during a clearance sale - the 70s and it was very cool. The next day she decided it was such an amazing deal she drove back to get two more for my sisters. Turned out she’d been accidentally charged the price for a smaller version, $99 dollars. The real price should have been $499. My mother stood there and argued that because she’d driven 45 minutes due to their mistake they needed to sell her the other two at the same price. I hid behind an enormous pile of rugs. We left with two more large rugs at $99 each.

I can count the number of times I saw my mom being a Karen on one hand but they were all memorable.

Parents teach us all sorts of things growing up, from saying please and thank you to knowing when it's time to apologize. But sometimes, kids end up learning a few things their parents probably shouldn't be teaching them! When a parent acts entitled, throws a fit over the smallest inconvenience, or expects everyone else to bend over backward for them, their kids can end up caught in the middle. And the tricky part is that these experiences don't always stay in childhood. They can shape how people handle friendships, relationships, and everyday situations long after they've left home.

#4

My mum didn’t think she had to wait in line if she had me with her for some bizarre reason.

She would demand to skip to the front and when people said no she would start pointing at me and screaming “BUT I HAVE A CHILD!!!”

It was so freaking weird bc I was totally chill with standing and waiting? So I would just be looking at people like “Hey, I have to live with this stuff”.

#5

Making me stand in a free parking space to save it for her, which i was already getting grief over and then she proceeded to have an argument with someone about said space which left me standing like an idiot even longer... the looks i got from the whole thing were beyond mortifying.

#6

One of the many things was randomly at Target she decided it was imperitive that I leave the cart in a random spot by the entrance instead of walking ten steps to the right to put it back where the other carts were. She had no explanation other than "No! Leave it here!" Two employees were mean mugging me hard. I was soo embarrassed, I had to choose between doing what she said and looking terrible or putting the cart back right and dealing with an hours long meltdown because of it. She did something similar at clothing stores, directing me to do annoying things to already extremely pissed off workers or else face her wrath.

Also the time my dad threw our entire McDonald's order back through the drive through window because he had to pay 10 cents for sauce. .

Interestingly, not every child responds to this kind of upbringing in the same way. Some begin to copy their parents' entitled behavior, while others grow up feeling like they're never good enough. Although these reactions may seem like complete opposites, both can develop as ways of adapting to a difficult family environment. Children learn how relationships work by watching the adults around them, so a parent's behavior can have a lasting influence on how they see themselves and others. Let's start with those who end up following in their parents' footsteps.

#7

Less true mental scarring and more cringey, but once when we went through the Dairy Queen drive through as middle schoolers, I guess they put chocolate sauce instead of fudge sauce on my mom's sundae. She drove back through to get it corrected (which would've been fine on its own) but she also felt the need to sit there and lecture the teenager at the window (who probably wasn't even the one that made the sundae, and was probably making $5.50/hr) on the exact differences between the two sauces, as well as the great importance in being able to discern between these things if they wanted to succeed in the workplace, something *she* knew *all about* because she was a high school economics teacher and they would do well to listen to her.

Far from the worst thing she ever did, but my brother and I were slouched low in our seats staring at our shoes the whole time. I think I may have physically cringed when she got to the economics teacher part of the lecture.

#8

I was raised by my grandmother and the only time she would be a Karen is when it came to McDonald’s. Jesus Christ her fish filet better be piping hot or she’s in there arguing with the 16 year old cashier. Every time she ordered she always had to say several times “I want mine fresh!”

When I got older, we got into it several times. I kept trying to make the point that it’s McDonald’s, not a five star restaurant. She would argue “well I requested a fresh one, I want it fresh! It’s their job!”.

#9

The most mild of car accidents.

We were stopped in a cul de sac on one side of my highschool, and there was a gated parking lot someone pulled out of right behind/beside us, and basically they at like, less than 1mph, tapped the edge of the wheelwell of our car because they thought they could pass us by but were an inch off.

Instead of just exchanging insurance information and being done with it, my mom screamed at this 16 year old girl for literally 45 minutes.

At some point after the first two or three minutes of screaming, I got out of the car and sat over by a tree, not wanting to be associated with her (there were a lot of other people milling around there too), but she tried to demand I get back in the car. I walked home instead. She didn't understand why.

“Children often learn by what they see. In this case, a child could lean toward entitlement,” said Craig Knippenberg, a therapist and author of Wired and Connected: Brain-Based Solutions to Ensure Your Child’s Social and Emotional Success. And when you think about it, that makes sense. Kids spend years observing how their parents deal with everyday situations, whether it's handling disagreements, reacting to criticism, or asking other people for help. If they regularly see a parent making unreasonable demands or expecting everyone else to give in, they may start to believe that this is normal behavior. Over time, they can carry those same expectations into their own relationships.

#10

My high school had a policy that if you were dropped off, your parent drove you into a specific section of the parking lot, because the area closest to the school was for buses.

One semester I had to do extra work for calculus and my mother had to drive me to school early. She absolutely refused to drop me off in the upper lot, which would have been zero extra work or inconvenience for her, because the lower lot was closer to the school and it “didn’t make sense” that they were making me walk further. I explained about buses coming later and how they wanted one set of rules for the whole day so it didn’t get confusing, but she didn’t care.

When the principal threatened me with detention if she didn’t stop dropping me off in the lower lot, I informed him that I’d told her half a dozen times and she told me she didn’t care.

The next day he went out to talk to her while I walked into the building. I have no idea how that conversation went, but she continued to drop me off in the lower lot for the rest of the semester and I just gave him an apologetic shrug when I saw him. He never spoke to me about it again, so he must’ve realized she couldn’t be reasoned with and it wasn’t my fault.

#11

Growing up it was super embarrassing. We lived in a small town, so while she's having a fit at some poor grocery store kid because they're out of basil there is a REALLY high chance I would run into someone I knew from school.

Now I am almost always nice to service people. I think it's a combination of being a normal person with sense, having seen how outrageous my mom came across, and I've worked in call center management, so seeing or hearing people do it to our agents adds a ton of empathy.

The one thing that's hard is a major part of her Karen-thing was that everything was a conspiracy against her. There's a line at a drive thru? Grand conspiracy against her. Sometimes I find myself falling into that trap (never to the degree she would, but to some degree of 'woe is me') and I have to actively make myself knock it off and calm down.

#12

Not my parent, but my grandparent. It's super uncomfortable. Even from a young age I knew the way she treated service workers was unfair, but if I tried to speak up to calm her down or get her to back off, she would scream at me for not defending family. To her, you always have to defend family, even if they're wrong... it's a frustrating philosophy to have to deal with.

She's also just generally oblivious and I genuinely don't think she realizes the extent of trouble someone could get in if they did what she wanted them to. Like when she would harass people at toll booths, I don't think the idea that if the employee gave her preferential treatment they could lose their jobs even registered with her. Like not even that it just doesn't occur to her... I think she just doesn't understand it. I don't know how to explain clearly, but stuff like that genuinely doesn't exist as ideas in her brain. The effect her actions can have on others just like doesn't exist to her.

To put it in short, it's frustrating and I try to avoid her as much as possible. Yes, she's a Karen to family members too. I hate her.

For example, imagine a child watching their parent lose their temper every time someone tells them no. If this happens often enough, the child may start to see anger and demands as perfectly acceptable ways to get what they want. They might struggle to accept rejection, expect special treatment, or become frustrated when things don't go according to plan. They may also have trouble understanding other people's perspectives because they've grown up watching their own parent's wants take priority. Of course, not every child who sees this behavior will copy it, but repeated examples can influence what they come to see as acceptable.

#13

Cried and sat down on the floor when a worker told her she had enough of the free samples. Didn't stop until a manager gave her a box of what they were sampling for free.

#14

My white mom tried taking 2 giant bottles of water through security at LAX in her carryon. There were only 2 or 3 TSA around and all were black. She was screaming "This is reverse racism!!" at the top of her lungs. Thankfully we were at a tiny terminal so the scene was fairly small.

#15

From the other side, a middle age man yelled at me when I was waitressing and told me that me forgetting their tap water made his wife cry in the bathroom.

After they left, his two teenage daughters came back in to seek me out and apologise to me and say the mum was crying because the man had made a scene and ruined her birthday. Wild stuff.

Things can get even trickier when parents constantly step in to protect their children from failure, disappointment, or the consequences of their actions. Let's say a child gets a bad grade at school. Instead of helping them understand what went wrong and how they could improve, an entitled parent might immediately blame the teacher or demand that the grade be changed. While they may believe they're simply standing up for their child, this approach can prevent the child from learning some important life skills. Making mistakes, accepting feedback, and dealing with disappointment are all part of growing up. When parents repeatedly step in to fix every problem, children may have fewer opportunities to develop independence, take responsibility, and learn how to handle setbacks on their own.

#16

There are so so so many instances but here are just a few

1.) my mom and i went to get breakfast at hearty’s, as we pulled up to get our food, she noticed the worker wasn’t really smiling and handed our food to us rather abruptly. this led to her demanding to see a manager and when that got her no where she ended up calling corporate with the intention of getting that person fired.
2.) we were in walmart and she had picked up an item that had a coupon on it and was planning on using it, but upon reaching the register it was found out that the coupon was expired. the cashier refused to honor the coupon and then my mom demanded to see a manager who also refused to honor it. she then stormed out of the store and dropped our bags of groceries in the middle of the floor and left them there.
3.) we were going to a pawn shop one time and someone took the parking spot she was planning on parking in. she got out of the car and completely raged at the driver then went inside the pawn shop to get the owner/manager (she knew him) because she was so angry. but he didn’t do anything so as usual, she ran with her tail tucked between her legs.

#17

This one restuarant had a few unrelated offers from different sources she had collected and was convinced she could get $300 worth of food for free. They said they would accept only one (which was still an excellent deal). Held up my sister's birthday for it and pretty much every restaurant employee was involved and get yelled at.

#18

She had to take me to hospital from school and didn’t want to be away from work very long. She screamed at the nurse in the ED about why she couldn’t just drop 14 year old me off and leave lol.

But here's the other side of the story: not every child grows up to behave like their parents. Some react by becoming overly cautious, constantly seeking approval, or struggling to speak up for themselves. Research has linked overparenting with lower self-confidence among young adults. Overparenting generally refers to parents becoming excessively involved in their children's lives, often stepping in to manage problems or make decisions that their children could learn to handle themselves. When parents repeatedly take control, kids get fewer chances to trust their own judgment, make mistakes, and discover that they can solve problems independently. Over time, this can leave them feeling unsure of their abilities.

#19

My MIL:
- Fell to the floor crying because she couldn’t return an item. I thought she collapsed from a medical emergency and ran to her side. I haven’t looked at her the same since. Absolutely disgusting behaviour
- Got out of her car mid-drive thru, burst into a packed McDonald’s, and yelled at the manager because there was cheese in her burger. She demanded he fire the employee who made it.

#20

My friend’s dad was a Karen. He tried getting a younger server fired because she didn’t smile at him when taking his order and because she didn’t get his water refill fast enough. Mind you, it was a busy day. We were lucky to get there just in time for us to be sat before a long line started.

Took her around 5 minutes to get the water btw. Idk about you but that’s pretty much within a reasonable wait time for refills. I’ve waited longer in less packed restaurants. Made me feel so bad but I was still pretty young and he scared me. So I didn’t really call him out. I just never went over to that friend’s place again and never went out with her and her family anywhere. Looool.

#21

My mum was not a karen but she was a weird narcissist and I feel like this story fits the vibe.
I was 19 and having a miscarriage. She was recently divorced and drove me to the hospital. I was in a lot of pain and having contractions and moaning and groaning a lot. A porter pushed my chair to the room where tge Dr would examine me and she decided to flirt with him loads and make it all about her, giggling loads and acting like a schoolgirl, she then disappeared "for a cigarette" and was gone with the porter for an hour and a half leaving me on my own with a tank of gas and air (which was honestly the best thing for me).

Instead of growing up believing they deserve special treatment, these children may end up feeling that their own needs don't matter much at all. They might spend years trying to keep their parents happy, avoiding arguments, and doing whatever they can to prevent someone from getting upset with them. If disagreeing with a parent often leads to criticism, guilt, or conflict, keeping the peace can start to feel like the safest option. Eventually, they may carry this habit into other relationships, believing they need to be helpful, agreeable, and accommodating to earn love and approval. They may find it difficult to recognize that they can care about other people without always putting themselves last.

#22

Not related by my ex threw his phone at my windshield and broke it because I asked him to stop impatiently taping his fingers on the dash which was getting annoying.

#23

Yelling at people who dare park in front of our house.

We lived in the city. My Mom thought the entire space in front of our house was for her car and nothing else.

The kicker? We had a driveway. She was/is unhinged.

#24

My dad has done this a few times at restaurants.
He will pay for the tables bill. Usually it’s quite substantial and a few of us.
He pays, no worries. Then, he will order coffee for himself and for anybody else that wants one. Usually it’s only him.
When he receives the bill for the coffees he ordered, he loses it. Gets aggressive to the manager saying they know nothing about hospitality due to the fact he is a paying customer who paid a bill and brought people in, so is deserving of a coffee on the house. Because that’s “how they do it in Italy”. Despite having lived in Australia for 60+ years. He’s done this at least 6-7 times.
One place the owner was so offended by his assumption of expecting free stuff she told him to never come badk. And fair enough. We are taking small business restaurants being run but people trying to put food on their own tables at home.
When I went back to this restaurant 2 years later for some take-away food. He lost it at me. Saying I was unloyal for going back to a place where he was treated so poorly.

I’ve worked in hospitality for 15+ years. I’ve managed cafes, restaurants, expensive cocktail bars, nightclubs etc.
He’s an idiot.

And these patterns don't necessarily disappear once someone moves out or becomes an adult. A person who grew up feeling responsible for a parent's emotions might struggle to say no to a friend, speak up when a partner treats them unfairly, or ask for something they genuinely need. Even setting a simple boundary can leave them feeling guilty, as though they're being selfish or letting someone down. They may also find themselves drawn to relationships where they take on too much responsibility for keeping everyone happy. Learning to recognize these habits can take time, but understanding where they come from can be a useful first step toward building healthier relationships and feeling more comfortable standing up for themselves.

#25

I grew up pretty poor. My mom was what I like to call Trailer Park Karen (we lived in a trailer). I remember we were in a KFC and she asked how much a bucket of chicken was. The girl told her and mom starts yelling about how that’s ridiculous and she can do better at Albertsons and she stormed out.

#26

I'm the child of a male Karen (...Darren?)

It's alarming because my dad is normally a measured, calm and patient man but if he gets hungry or tired he becomes a brat and this has lead to full on meltdowns in restaurants or yelling at some unfortunate receptionist at a hotel. It's made worse by the fact that he is a tall, broad man and doesn't realise how threatening his body language can come across as.

As a kid I just cringed. As an adult, I started going to the waiters or receptionists afterwards, apologising, and pressing extra tips on them. Then about seven years ago I turned to him as he went off on one and said 'this is not how you taught us to speak to people and you would be ashamed if any of your children acted this way'.

He hasn't acted out since.

#27

When you're very young (0 to 5 yrs), you have no idea. Once you're old enough to realize it (7 to 10ish), you get super embarrassed. When you're around the age of going through puberty, you start to apologize to people for your mom or dad's behavior.

Then, FINALLY, you are old enough to get away (14 to 18) and if you're lucky, you have a lot of excuses to not go places with them - practices, games, rehearsals, concerts, homework, a job.... and so on.

When you're an adult, if you have the balls to do so, you start to point out to them in the moment how absurd and ridiculous they are acting and they learn to not act that way around you... but they still do it when you're not around. You're not around a lot.

Of course, growing up with entitled parents doesn't mean someone is destined to repeat these patterns or struggle with self-confidence forever. Every family is different, and children can respond to similar experiences in very different ways. Supportive relationships, greater self-awareness, and, when needed, professional guidance can help people recognize unhealthy patterns and learn new ways of relating to others. The important thing is understanding that childhood experiences can influence us without having to define the rest of our lives.

Coming back to today's stories, it's easy to see how growing up with “Karen” parents can put kids in some pretty awkward and difficult situations. Pandas, have you ever witnessed a parent behaving this way, or experienced something similar yourself? Let us know in the comments below.

#28

My mother once got mad at a cashier for her cart not having a good wheel and he didn’t offer to replace it for her during a rush. I work at that grocery store. People know she’s my mother. I was mortified.

#29

My mother in law is one, luckily not as crazy as some but definitely is embarrassing. Whenever my husband and I visit, she always wants to go out to eat. We always try to say let’s get take out or offer to cook, because honestly I hate going out to eat with her.

#30

I was 37 to when I was able to sit with mom through an entire restaurant meal without something being returned to the kitchen. If her food was perfectly prepared, she would complain about someone else's against that diner's protestations. It was exhausting. As a teenager, I started carrying a few extra dollars that I'd sneak to the server to try and not get my food spit in.

#31

My mom isn't intentionally a "karen" but she has some social anxiety and comes off as demanding to customer service workers. She's generally very nice but has RBF and talks curtly when ordering food and stuff. I hated it growing up because I felt like she was being rude but now that I'm older I understand that her anxiety makes her overthink those interactions. I compensated as a kid by being overly smiley to employees that she had been rude to and sometimes apologizing to them after my mom had walked away.

#32

Cashier: Sorry ma'am, I'm actually closing my till.

My mum: Well where am I supposed to go?!

My mother used to throw her hands around while driving and road raging, she used to aggressively paraphrase people she didn't like by making a loud and stupid voice. She used to always complain to employees about stupid things that had no solutions. "Why are you out of the sale items?"

What's it like to be her son? I moved 1000km to get away from her. Hope that sums it up! :D.

#33

My dad was married to a wretched woman from the time I was 7 to 22. Her name was literally Karen 😂

Anyway, she was awful to everyone. I remember shooting apologetic looks to waiters, cashiers, receptionists, flight attendants, etc as a young child. OMG. It was mortifying.

#34

Daughter In Law/Niece of one...

She was embarrassing growing up. She would scream at anyone and anything who would be forced to listen.

She would also say "watch this." In restaurants and would scream at the poor staff to try get free food because she was a loyal customer even if it was her first time at the location.

#35

Instead of being like that, I now just overcompensate by literally never complaining about anything. So not the best way of dealing, but still better than being a Karen.

#36

Ngl my karen wasnt a reall "karen" karen but she knows the policies of stores like kholes beter than the employees which can be funny. She doesnt throw tantrums and we usualy get all the good stuff that karens do like somehow come up with stupid deals on allot of stuff.

#37

I know my best friend's step mom was like this. She actually banned me from going to their house for like a year for accidentally breaking something(a lamp) when we were roughhousing. Although she came around and we actually have somewhat of an amicable relationship.

#38

My late mother was an absolute sweetheart but grew up incredibly poor. We did not eat out often but when we did, she would almost always send food back or complain about something. I presume she was trying to get something comped or that she wanted everything to be perfect on the rare occasions she wasn’t cooking dinner. As a kid, I was always embarrassed when she did so and rarely complain in my adult life.

#39

They treat wait staff like trash, and when you’re a kid there’s nothing you can do. Now I just don’t go out to eat with her.

#40

My dad I wouldn’t say is a Karen but he can be at restaurants specifically over certain things and it’s so embarrassing and then the server won’t come back to your table bc they just got bitched at over something so stupid.

#41

Not exacally a typical Karen, but my dad would make a huge deal about taking anything back to a shop, storm in demand to see the manager, call them all the names under the sun.

Afterwards he'd brag to anyone who'd listen.

One day he tried it and it must have been the manager, or the guys last day.

The store assistant looked him straight in the eye and said, "if you have a problem we can take it outside"

Funnily enough my dad was all apologetic.

#42

“Fell” on the floor and made no effort to get up so that a security guard would help.

There were loads of other smaller events, like a constant drip. She was also awful to people on the phone.

#43

I can’t think of one that stands out the most at the moment, but I spent my childhood being embarrassed by my mother’s treatment of store clerks and servers in restaurants. I would have to stand by as she berated them and would quietly tell them I was sorry when my mom finally stormed off. It was humiliating for me. My mother has a loud voice and she was mean for no reason. Sometimes a cashier couldn’t count out change fast enough, or a return policy wasn’t to her liking. These were simple mistakes if a mistake at all. If she thought someone had an attitude with her, that was the worst. Don’t think I escaped any of this treatment either. Or my dad.

On the flip side, I am so kind and easy going with anyone I encounter who has a job that deals with the public. I treat people with the respect they deserve. I tend to be overly polite in my life. I know it is because I grew up seeing the worst example of how to treat others. I never want to be like my mother.

#44

Just how rude she is to workers and others for no reason. I’ve had to thank them when she refused. I’ve even gotten on her in public and then gotten in trouble. I’m 38. It’s embarrassing.

#45

Had to quit Girl Scouts and lost my best friend because she got in a stupid tiff with the leader/my bffs mom. Got in a huge blow up with her in front of everyone and coached me the whole way home about how we hate them now and how they think they are too good for us. Made me quit soccer because she thought the coach was favoriting their own kid over me. Caused a lot of drama on my dance team too with the owner and other moms but I stuck that out because I loved it but could tell everyone kept their distance from me to avoid drama with her.

#46

She saves every little thing. Every month or so the rest of my family gets together to clean while she's out buying food we won't know about for 3 years.

#47

I didn’t realize my mom was a Karen until after I left home for college. Now I can’t stand to be around her, it’s just exhausting because you never know what’s going to set her off. Sometimes I have to look myself in the mirror and say “you are not your mother” to remind myself that I’m a good person after a personal attack from her.

#48

It was exhausting. I’m constantly worried that I’m either over or under reacting to something because I was never taught how to react to things appropriately. I dated a male Karen for 10 years and he would spiral out into these emotional outbursts for hours over fabricated events. I have a difficult time gauging what the appropriate reaction to something should be, and I’m constantly second guessing myself.

#49

Ugh I just realized my awesome mom was once a Karen in many ways. Stomping into school to defend her kids who were ducking up because she was so neglectful.
Fired a maid for not washing the windows properly.
I couldn’t stand her when I was young.
She was bipolar and got sober when I was five and chilled out once she got old.
Maybe not from reading this thread. I love my mom but wow she needs endless attention. It’s pretty exhausting as nice as she is now.
I’ve become un talkative with age and last time she visited she ended sobbing over it. Wow mom can we simply enjoy each other’s company in silence? I realized after that that I think used to flip out on her to get her to stop and now that I don’t it’s just kinda uncomfortable.

#50

Mostly just embarrassing every once in a while. She's gotten better about not being outright rude, but she's still demanding to service staff. She acts nice but it's pretty clearly fake.

She's just not a rational person. She forms strong opinions on minor things, and just can't seem to let them go. She never asks herself why she thinks what she thinks or tries to frame things logically. Things happen and she reacts with her gut.

Tbh as a hyper rational person I think could learn a few things from her.

#51

My mother in law is a Karen and let me tell you it’s not a fun time. Most of the time she’s normal but my word she has caused so many unnecessary problems with random people, friends, and my family.

#52

It’s embarrassing. My mom has no friends because she is such a jerk and I try to not go out with her because I know if I do, she’ll insult any minimum wage worker we encounter and be super unpleasant.

#53

It’s all muttering through fake smiles “shut up Mum, just shut up! It doesn’t matter, just stop!” all the while giving the poor service workers a crazy-eyed look that says ‘I’m so sorry, I want no part in this. I am normal, I promise!’.

#54

Anytime you are with them in public and there is someone there that seems more important than them.

#55

Honoring price tags on obvious misplaced items. My mom would hold up the check out line while they checked with no shame.

#56

Trying to return something months after the return window and arguing with some poor teenager for half an hour over company policy to try and get their 21.99 back for whatever stupid stuff they bought.

#57

I was always stressed in restaurants and taxis, or when ordering pizza. I never knew when my dad was going to go off at the servers.

#58

My mom once started arguing with someone in a parking lot and I just stayed in the car. She came back 10 minutes later still mad and I was like Cool can we go home now?

#59

Going to restaurants was really hard and still is today, the waiter always looks to me for guidance (like stares at me in fear to make sure I can guide them both through the interaction if something goes wrong) now that I’m an adult and she’s an “old lady” so she has more of a pass for her behavior as I think a lot of people think it’s dementia or something.

But anyway as a kid and teenager it was absolutely mortifying. Being disrespectful to the waitress with a crazy tone, sending back food and insulting it, demanding refunds and saying drinks aren’t made right.

Also one time we were on a flight and she got impatient with the flight attendant about her drink or something I truly don’t remember, and started to get upset and act inappropriately/say something way over the line and the flight attendant asked her name and my mother refused which is illegal on a plane so she almost got arrested when we landed.

No our relationship isn’t very good Lol.

#60

There was this lady who visited primary schools to teach children about dental hygiene back in the day. You know, where you put that stuff on your teeth that goes pink and then brush your teeth and you can tell how well you brush. She made some sort of remark to me, I can't remember exactly, but it must have been along the lines of me not having been taught how to brush properly. I repeated it to my mum, who didn't question herself or watch me brush my teeth to find out if there was something to it, but wrote an angry letter to said lady that I then had to deliver. I like to say my mum complained to the tooth fairy. 🤦‍♂️.

#61

We were on a family trip in another country and she got into a massive screaming match with my stepdad/stepsisters in a very public place (everyone was staring at us, it was humiliating). then we ended the trip early and had to go home!

#62

My mom is a Karen. We used to joke that she was the final boss at the end of a video game. She was pretty entitled in most situations. The worst was when she was at restaurants. She’s unbelievably intolerable to be around.

#63

Having teachers and instructors say to you, I know it's not your fault as you suffer the consequences of my mom acting out.

#64

She yelled at the cash register lady for not using her coupon. Mind you, this girl was like 21 and just following the rules. My mom then took a bunch of greeting cards and threw them in the air.

#65

Not my mom but a friend. She took us to this place because had a coupon for a specific restaurant location but tried to use it at another one and she complained enough to the manager that they let her keep the coupon, get the free item, AND a free entree, then also didn't tip the waitress. I paid for my own food and tip and never went out with them again.

#66

It seems some parents can make everything 10 times more embarrassing especially when your friends are around.

#67

Every time we go to a restaurant, she catches an attitude with the server because she orders a specialty pizza and the asks to remove or replace 90% of the toppings, and then gets irritated when something goes wrong. I have to be peacemaker on these interactions because I don’t want anyone to ruin my food because I didn’t cause anything I just want my spaghetti 😭.

#68

Mom liked to throw tantrums at Walmart about the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition being displayed in the checkout aisle. She would complain to the cashier, the help desk, and try to escalate to corporate.

#69

Any time we go out to eat, I always immediately excuse myself to the ladies room but instead find our server. I prepare them for what might happen and apologize profusely. Then go ahead and hand them a 20 dollar bill and tell them I will do my best to keep her contained.

Edit: Thanks for the gold and love! In response to some comments, no she doesn't know that I do this. And she wouldn't care (or change) if she did. For the tirades I fail to prevent, I don't sit idly by when she goes off - I do everything I can to shut her up. My favorite is to interrupt her and say something along the lines of "You need to shut up. I really don't want to eat spit tonight.".

#70

When i was young, I hated it. She would yell and throw fits in public when she didn't get her way. As an adult I think its made me way too easy going. I remember the anxiety and anger that she would exude. It was exhausting. So now I am careful with who I keep around in my life as to protect my energy. I try not to worry about things I cant control. And I have respect and empathy for people.

#71

The Germans have this word _Fremdschämen_ which means that feeling of second hand embarrassment you get when you are quite visibly associated with someone embarrassing. Basically that.

#72

She showed up at my house with my step dad to get their kayaks out of my garage 3 days after he tested positive for Covid and was showing symptoms. Not only do I have a high risk husband, but also have a 22 month old and was babysitting my 14 month old niece.

#73

My mom was a complete Karen. I used to carry cash with me to tip waitstaff because 95% she would leave extremely paltry tips if any tip at all.

You tend to compensate as the child of a jerkish narcissistic parent. I’d carry cash with me for tips. I’d always make sure I had another way home if she offered to drive. I never had to do anything like that with my dad but then he was sane.

#74

My mother in law is a Karen. She's always asking for the manager. Most times I either walk away or try and calm her (but there's no use).

Sometimes though, I tell her to go do her thing on my behalf. She usually gets the job done.

#75

I never quite understood why I didn't like my mother. She's a seemingly okay person, and people **should** like their parents. She showed us lots of love as kids. But I still find her awful to be around.

I had a really great mentor once tell me that you can learn a lot about a person based on how they treat waitstaff. And suddenly I realized why I've never liked being around my mother.

#76

I never had a mom as a Karen but I remember a friend that had a Karen. She always complained about everything, expected people to do everything for her, even stealing from stores. I felt bad for my friend because she was always embarrassed. I hope shes doing ok now.

#77

As a teen I was the queen of saying “you aren’t embarrassing me, you’re only embarrassing yourself” to my parents when they complained at stores and restaurants. Looking back I am so proud of my teenage attitude.

#78

Taught me to respect everyone, especially store employes.

#79

My mom and grandma were both Karens. As a kid, going out to eat with them was embarrassing. The ice cream was too cold and the coffee was too hot.

#80

Uncomfortable, and anxious. You can count on Ann (mom) at any store complaining and making a scene. Back to school clothes shopping was always the worst. Karen has never been put in check.

#81

My aunt wasnt a karen but she is slowly bwcoming one, my cousin says its just a bit anoying at times.

#82

Oh god. My dad is a male Karen. I always hated working my first customer service jobs (high school and whatnot) because I was always afraid that I’d get customers like him. And I would, occasionally.

I still don’t understand why anyone thinks it’s acceptable or productive to scream at the messenger, who’s only enforcing rules and literally doing their job.

These Kids Grew Up With “Karens,” And Their Most Embarrassing Stories Are Something Else

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