35 ‘Cool’ Parents Who Maybe Should Have Slowed Their Roll

We’ve all met adults who definitely weren’t told “no” enough times when they were children. One Redditor, for instance, had a childhood friend named Patrick who was allowed to do pretty much anything, even if “anything” was lighting a fake plant on fire “to see how flammable it was,” allowing it to fully erupt into flames and then throwing the fiery plant outside in the snow. His mother watched the entire scene play out, only to say, “Don’t do that again,” without any real authority in her voice. You gotta wonder what workplace Patrick is out there terrorizing right now. 

Redditors have taken a trip down memory lane and recalled the jaw-dropping things laidback parents allowed their kids to do, and while helicopter parents are bad, there are times when being a Cool Mom™ is much worse.