Technology isn’t easy for everybody. Some of us were born in a different generation, back when the landline phone was still the rage and cell phones used to weigh more than a gallon of milk. For some of our moms and dads, the exciting “new” world of the Internet is understandably hard to navigate.
But moms and dads will try their best, which often results in hilarious fails. Luckily, some of the funniest parents’ texts have been uploaded online for our enjoyment. Up next, we have 50-plus of the very best.
See Before Typing
Some moms aren’t just new to technology: they also have a hard time seeing all the tiny letters and buttons on their cell phones. The situation, of course, gets even worse when moms try to write a text without their glasses on.
In this hilarious exchange of messages, a mom lost her glasses and wrote a cryptic text that sounded like something coming straight out of a randomizer program. Her son or daughter was as puzzled as we are, but the final text explains everything!
AutoCorrect Disaster
AutoCorrect is a powerful and helpful tool, but even the most tech-savvy amongst us have struggled with it in the past. If AutoCorrect can be annoying for the young, imagine how hard it must be to master for a mom who’s just started navigating the web.
Out of all the AutoCorrect disasters we’ve seen, this one is probably the funniest. As if the “fondled ourselves” part wasn’t awkward enough, this poor mom accidentally used the word “erect” when trying to refer to AutoCorrect.
Overly Emojional
The word “emoji” comes from the Japanese words “e” (meaning picture) and “moji” (meaning letter). That’s a nice fact, but one that doesn’t matter much in the context of this picture. Nonetheless, we’re proud to introduce to you… the overly emojional mom!
What’s an overly emojional mom? It’s a mom who’s so excited about finding out she can send little pictures to her children that she won’t stop until the excessive number of emojis breaks her phone. What’s worse is that she seems to select every emoji randomly!
Out for… Ice Cream
The thing about emoticons is that they’re not always as precise as we assume. To people new to the world of Internet chatting and text-message, even an emoticon as popular as the “<3” can be grossly misunderstood.
To be fair to this confused mom who we thought was “going out for love,” the “<3” emoticon does look more like an ice cream cone than a heart. We’re happy that this mom is just getting some ice cream, not announcing to her child that she’s out there looking for a new dad.
Just So You Know
Amy’s dad just got himself a new smartphone, and Amy is happy because that means she can now talk with her dad all the time. But little did Amy know that having a dad with a phone is not a blessing but more of a curse.
After all, Amy’s dad is a real joker who loves to say “hi” in the rudest way possible. Amy was probably missing him very much… Until the day she learned he felt the opposite way.
Finding Twitter
Social media can be confusing to people who are new to the Internet. But mistaking your private messages for Twitter is bad in any context. Luckily, this mishap wasn’t the other way around: after all, there is nothing more embarrassing than posting a private message in a place where everyone can see it.
Poor Andy needs to urgently help his mom navigate the exciting new world of social media before she does anything she will regret. “No, mom, this isn’t Twitter!”
“What Is a Stiffy?”
If there’s something children hate to discuss with their parents, that’s… Intimacy. It’s nice to have parents who love each other, but not so nice to have parents who demonstrate it all the time. Luckily, this soon-to-be-divorced mom wasn’t trying to be open about her intimacy: she simply fell victim to the AutoCorrect.
Nobody likes to get a Swiffer (an everyday cleaning tool) for a birthday, but that’s no reason to scare your child for life. This whole conversation is hilarious, but the “what is a stiffy” message made us laugh.
Hungry for Some Beans?
Internet moms are at their most cringy when trying to look cool. To do so, they will attempt to overuse slang expressions that they believe to be hip but are just lame. One of the best examples? The expression “cool beans” here also translated to the Spanish “cool frijoles.”
According to Stacker, the expression “cool beans” was popularized in the ’70s by the comedy duo Cheech and Chong. It was also used extensively by D. J. Tanner, a character from “Full House.”
Passive Aggressive
Isn’t it nice when moms send us a sweet message? Especially a cute good morning message. Sadly, though, some moms do not know how to be sweet without adding a little bit of passive aggression to the mix. Take this message, for instance: it looks innocent enough until you start peeling off all the passive-aggressive layers.
More than a “good morning” text, this is a way of telling your daughter she still has not found a boyfriend. Couldn’t she have stopped at “beautiful?”
Sometimes, It’s Better to Give Up
We don’t need to be professional photographers to understand the concept of a finger-covered lens. But some moms are so unfamiliar with technology that they need a workshop on how to take pictures with their cell phones. At least she knows how to send an image, even if the image’s not right.
What’s funny about this message exchange is that the son decided to give up after three failed attempts. Too bad we never got to see what the “beautiful day” this mom was talking about looked like.
A Long-Clicking Accident?
We tried to find a logical explanation for this one, and we can only assume that this parent doesn’t know that you don’t have to long-click every single letter before writing a message. They seem to be selecting the alternative characters that show up when you long-click a letter for EACH letter!
Luckily, this parent can count on the support of their child, who stated loud and clear, “I’ll be there.” On the other hand, writing with nothing but alternative characters does look fun!
YOLO Lifestyle
Being Internet-savvy isn’t just about knowing how text messages and social media work. It also involves knowing the “hip” terms that young people use to communicate. This mom is doing her homework and even learned a new expression: YOLO, meaning “You Only Live Once.” Sadly, she forgot about the importance of context.
YOLO is generally used as an anti-warning (to inspire people to let go and have fun despite the risks), but we love how this funny mom reinvented the term.
A Rare Success Story
Moms on the Internet can be annoying, but this image shows that a bit of patience can go a long way. This mom was desperate because she couldn’t find the space bar on her cell phone (despite it being highlighted in the keypad), but she eventually managed to do so.
Could’ve she done it without talking to her child first? Probably, but it’s impossible to know for sure. It’s a major source of inspiration for all children who don’t feel like helping their parents.
Mastering the Emoticon
We’re so accustomed to seeing moms do the most embarrassing things on the Internet that we never saw this one coming! It takes an impressive amount of creativity and tech-savviness to develop your own emoticon, but—as far as we know—that’s precisely what this mom did.
We don’t know about you, but we will embrace the “bowtie man” and use it in our messages from now on. We don’t know how it applies in context, but we already know he “doesn’t do anything stupid.”
No Mercy Mom
We can’t imagine anything scarier than being at home and thinking that there’s a robber inside. So, we can only guess that this mom was trying to teach her daughter a lesson when she pranked her into believing that someone was potentially going to kill her.
The cherry on the top of the cake? The moment she locked her daughter inside the very same closet she was hiding at. It’s a masterpiece of a prank, but isn’t it a bit too cruel?
This Is How You Do It!
Forget about all the tech mishaps involving clueless moms. We introduce you to a mom who knows how to use her cell phone and who’s relying on the full power of the Internet to teach her child a lesson.
She hid $100 (or did she?) in her child’s bedroom to convince them to clean it. It goes to show that there’s always a new way of convincing your children to do something they don’t want to, as long as you’re creative enough.
Burn!
Some children think their parents can not be funny just because they were forced to be authoritative so many times throughout their lives. But here is a mom who is ready to prove that “funny” is in the blood of every parent. Her child got burned so bad we do not think they will ever recover from this!
“Not funny, ah? Well, guess who’s the joke now!” This mom may never make jokes, but she made you, and that is the biggest joke of all!
In a Meeting
This dad decided to mess with his phone’s auto-text feature without understanding how it worked. The result was this landslide of “In a meeting” messages that would make even the moodiest of children laugh out loud.
The funniest thing, however, is that dad wasn’t even in a meeting! Not only that, but he also failed to realize that he had just sent a whopping eight “In a meeting” messages in a row to someone. The lesson here? Stay off the auto-text unless you know what it does.
Unconditional Love
One does not need to be tech-savvy to know the expression “coming out,” which usually refers to when gay people assume their romantic orientation. But boy, doesn’t Michael wish his mom did not know what “coming out” means! After all, he ended up being labeled as gay against his will.
Despite the hilarious mishap, we are big fans of how loving and supportive Michael’s mom is. We all need a mom who loves us unconditionally, no matter the “coming out” we do…
#Miseducation
To be fair, this mom stated from the very beginning that she is still in the process of learning how to use hashtags. For most people, doing so takes about five minutes; but moms who are new to social media may need a couple of weeks before understanding that hashtags are made using the character “#.”
She was trying to impress her child but failed to do so in spectacular fashion. Nonetheless, wouldn’t #conversationwithson make for a fantastic viral hashtag on Twitter?
Forget Logic
We get it that some dads aren’t as tech-savvy as they should be: they were born in a different generation back when landline phones were still the rage. However, it’s simply dismal that some dads just don’t understand the logic of how long-distance cell phone communications work.
This dad was trying to let his child know he or she had forgotten the phone. So, what did he do? He sent a message to the lost phone in his possession. What was he thinking?
Welcome to the Digital Age
Reading this hilarious exchange of messages made us think of how puzzling it must be for some moms to learn about the exciting “new” world of the Internet. It’s like entering an entirely unknown reality with its own rules and traditions. And sometimes, the hardest things are the simplest: like, for example, finding the space bar.
This mom is surely not the first to lose sight of the space bar, but why? The space bar is perhaps the most noticeable button in the keypad!
And the Super-Dad Award Goes To…
Dads tend to be authoritative by nature, but a dad who’s also a cop? That’s double the trouble! This particular cop dad decided to take his child’s message literally and went all CSI on how they could escape murder. The trick? To avoid getting blood on your clothes.
Knowing how dads are, we guess this dad was just trying to be funny and not incentivizing his child to stab “everybody here.” But hey, who are we to tell him how to live his life?
Too Much Information
Prego is a type of Italian sauce, but it’s also an abbreviation for the word “pregnant.” One would think such a coincidence is irrelevant. But when a cheeky dad is involved, it makes for a great opportunity to disgust someone else. In this case, his own daughter…
If there is one thing children don’t want to think about, that’s the moment their mom and dad got together to get some prego—and no, we’re not talking about the sauce! It’s TMI, dad, TMI!
Good One, Mom!
Attention to grammar: now that is one thing moms have more of than children. When this mom received a text from her son asking, “what was he born,” she was sure to answer literally. For reasons we cannot understand, her son did not enjoy the answer…
It seems funny that this mom was genuinely trying to answer the question and not making a sarcastic remark. Knowing the exact time her son was born shows how loving and supportive she is.
Cheating on Dad
When parents cheat on one another, it’s always a good idea not to involve the kids. But this mom still decided to get her child’s help once she Googled images of the behind of the actor Johnny Depp during a moment of weakness.
We know: it’s not exactly cheating, far from it. But it’s still cute that this mom is so worried about her better half finding out she’s into the posterior of a Hollywood A-lister. Oh, if she knew how sordid dad’s search history is…
Uh-Oh!
Many people start their romantic lives while still living with their parents. That’s perfectly normal but can give way to some embarrassing situations. For one, they need to have the house for themselves and be very good at hiding any clues of any act of intimacy.
This mom saw some condoms in the laundry and was sure to let her son know with the help of the family cat. We guess she should be happy that her son is thinking of his future and doing it safely.
Only in Dreams!
Moms have a special power over their children. Because when moms say something hurtful, it hurts for real! And unfortunately, even the moms with the best of intentions can scar their children by accident.
Momma! in the picture was just trying to let her child know about some dream she’d had, but ended up mentioning the fact he or she has little to no friends. At least she dreamt of a child with a better social life, which has got to be worth something!
Running Google
This mom doesn’t have a clue about how Internet companies are run. She thought that her child was responsible for pretty much everything that happened on her phone, including setting the Google logo! She was probably referring to the commemorative Google Doodle image, which changes virtually every day.
As for the actual Google logo, it has only changed three times since the company’s creation (even though it’s sometimes slightly updated). The newest version of the Google logo was released in 2015.
The History of WTF
Moms misinterpreting Internet emojis and expressions: as we have seen, it is a classic! There are some very funny fails out there, but mistaking the expression WTF (which is too rude to put into words here) for “Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday” is a bit too far-fetched, even for a mom.
Interestingly enough, the expression “WTF” has been around since the ’80s, with disparate sources claiming it was first seen either in a 1985 Usenet post or in a 1983 book by Michael Malone.
What a Great Week!
We tend to think of our dads as super-responsible individuals who never have or would try drugs. But our dads are just normal people like the rest of us, and they were young and rebellious once too.
This person, for instance, needed some “help” from the AutoCorrect to learn that her father is into smoking marijuana. More than that, she also learned that her father is okay with her smoking some too. “Let’s not tell mom about this conversation…” sounds right to us!
Ouch, That Hurts!
Moms trying to convince their sons to clean the bedroom: now that is a pre- and post-Internet classic! This particular mom was not happy about a misogynistic joke her son made and was sure to let him know who was the boss.
No man wants to be insulted by his mom because he is not getting any action, but this guy kind of deserved it. We love how he was left speechless and was sure to let his mom know about it.
The Concept of Text Messages
Andy’s mom is still new to the world of cell phones and trying to grasp the concept of text messages. Andy tried to explain to her that text messages are like mini-emails, but, judging by the final text, we’re not sure she got the picture.
But is it her fault? Or is Andy just being a “big grumpus” again? We guess that the concept of text messages is harder to put into words than we thought, especially when you have to explain it to mom…
Have You Heard the News?
This guy’s mom is not worried about being ghosted and, most importantly, has lots of news to share. Things at the house do not seem to be going very well and everyone seems to be having a rough time.
When one thought the worst was over, mom comes blasting with news of dad’s hernia. We guess all children should try calling their moms often instead of ignoring their messages. It’s in bad times that being present truly makes a difference.
From B*tt to B*tt
Elizabeth’s mom is looking for help because she could not change the word “b*tt” to the word… “But?” Used as a preposition, adverb, conjunction, and even noun, the word “but” is one of the most important in the English language. So we can only imagine how annoying it must be to have it changed to “b*tt” every single time.
Annoyance aside, it is hilarious that Elizabeth’s mom took a whole three text messages to realize that her daughter was messing with her.
Unsupportive Easter Mom
It’s a rule of human life since the dawn of time: moms are tougher than their children. This ruthless mom, for instance, isn’t showing her daughter any support after learning she hit a bunny on the road. Instead, she’s cracking the joke jar open and letting it fly!
We don’t even know if this happened during Easter or not, but we sure know Easter Bunny isn’t going to show up anytime soon. Our bet? This mom had too much wine before coming up with these sassy texts.
A Fatal Mistake
There’s a set of rules of conduct when people pass away, and it’s considered rude to make jokes about late family members. For one, you don’t want to add a LOL to a text message announcing someone’s death.
This poor mom is in a real pickle because she misunderstood “laughing out loud” for “lots of love.” We don’t envy her situation at all, but we love how she managed to express her true feelings of despair in her final text message.
The AutoCorrect Strikes Back
To unhem a piece of clothing means to undo the process of hemming, so clothes fit the people wearing them better. It’s used in sewing when, for instance, pants need to be shortened. But guess what? AutoCorrect isn’t a big fan of the word.
Perhaps because unhemming wasn’t in this AutoCorrect dictionary, this poor mom was forced to split it into two words to avoid saying she urinated herself. Luckily, she managed to “unhem” the situation and let her child know everything was okay.
“Little Chocolate Kiss”
All images are up to interpretation, and emojis—simple as they are—are no exception. “Mumma Bear” thought she was sending some chocolate love to her child until she realized what the famous poop emoji actually stood for.
At least she was able to see the humor in the situation and said she was sorry. And by the way, did you know the poop emoji was created by two Google Doodle artists Ryan Germick and Susan Sahim, and inspired by the Japanese manga “Dr. Slump?”
Lost in China
Changing the cell phone to “Chinese mode” can be an absolute nightmare, especially if you are new to technology. This poor mom wanted to text her child but couldn’t find a way to communicate in English. It’s like she’s lost in China, virtually speaking…
Learning Chinese can be hard for a Westerner because there are reportedly more than 54K different Chinese characters! According to Go Abroad China, though, one can socialize and write basic Chinese knowing just 2.5K to 4K characters (which is still a lot).
From Grounded to Ungrounded
This exchange of messages goes to show that it’s better to make a decision only when you have all the information. Once this mom learned that her child got detention, she was unhappy about it. But she changed her mind as soon as she learned about the details of the detention.
This mom values a good joke over being polite, and that’s something most moms can’t brag about. Too bad the teacher was unable to see the humor in the situation…
Can Someone Teach Her?
Some moms overuse emojis, others create original new emoticons featuring a bowtie, and others… Well, others are still learning how to make a smiley face. Combining a “:” and a “)” to make a smiley face is not that hard, but we understand that some new-to-the-web moms don’t get the idea.
At least she tried to be nice to her child during Thanksgiving, mentioning that she would reply with a smiley face if she knew how to do so. The intention’s what counts!
The Uncertainty
Here is another logic-defying parent who doesn’t seem to understand how long-distance communication works. She was worried about her text messages not getting through, and she wasn’t going to believe her child’s word that they do…
This is what we call a true skeptic! Even when she gets an answer to her messages, she still doubts they get through. We guess that’s just human nature: skepticism as a philosophy and way of life started in Ancient Greece a whole five centuries BCE!
Can You See It?
This exchange of messages goes from good to bad in the blink of an eye—or better: in the wink of an eye! This child thought their mom was finally making progress and learning how to make emoticons. But then, something unexpected happened…
“No, mom, that is not how you make a little face with typing!” The reason this never-seen-before emoticon makes us cringe is that it makes no sense. Is the “}” the mouth? Is the “+” some sort of neck/bowtie? We do not get it…
Fight-Club Dad
No father should incentivize his child to start a fight. But once a fight starts, why not let your child know that winning should be the goal? We’re not sure that this dad is okay, and we don’t support violence, but we love his sheer pragmatism.
It’s a dog-eat-dog world, and survival is the only objective. Starting a fight is wrong, but ending one is simply inevitable. You need to have a punch and kick ready and, most importantly, a good excuse ready to tell the teacher!
One A.M. Chef
Remember college, when eating a meal past 1 a.m. seemed like a perfectly normal thing to do? Well, some dads have kept their late-night appetite since their college days, and they’re not shy about sharing their delicious meals with their children.
Lightly fried fish filets aside, Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials recommends that it’s best to stop eating about three hours before bed. If our bodies still digest food when we go to bed, we may have a more challenging time falling asleep.
No Wannabe Mom
The Oxford Languages dictionary defines “wannabe” as “a person who tries to be like someone else or to fit in with a particular group of people.” “Wannabe” is also the title of one of the Spice Girls’ best-known songs, which is referenced in these messages.
Interestingly enough, we don’t think this mom is being a wannabe. She’s just acting genuine and having fun with her child. Mom and children don’t always have the same pop-culture references, but the music of the Spice Girls has pretty much reached all generations.
AutoCorrect Almost Ruined Christmas
It’s too bad that Melissa’s mom doesn’t know how common AutoCorrect fails are. For a moment, she thought her baby girl was taking drugs home with her for Christmas! It turned out that she was talking about Doug, who we assume to be her boyfriend.
According to many outlets, AutoCorrect fails can be prevented if we “train” our cell phones to understand which words we most commonly use. Does that mean Melissa has written the word “drugs” a few times before? Well, it’s better not to think about it…
Knowing Your Options
Now that’s a message no child wants to receive from a parent! This mom made her son or daughter very worried when she asked about texting 911, but guess what? There was no emergency at all; she just wanted to know her options.
According to the FCC, people can contact emergency services via text message via the text-to-911 option. However, the FCC recommends making a call whenever possible so people can provide more information to the men and women working at the 911 call center.