Embarrassing moments happen to people each and every day. Sometimes, they can't help it; it can be a silly little mistake, or a classic slip-up. Only one thing can make these moments worse: if they happen in front of their parents.
People on Quora share the most embarrassing moment they've had in front of their parents. Content has been edited for clarity.
Three AM Is The Devil’s Hour
“It was around three am, and I was watching an episode of Gotham with full concentration with earphones plugged in my ears. I had the volume turned up so high that all I could hear was the ongoing conversation between ‘The Penguin’ and ‘Gordon.’
Generally, I like watching TV with all the lights off and munching chips, as it gives me the feeling of sitting in a movie hall a watching a movie while eating popcorn. I am usually the last one to go to sleep, hence it’s my responsibility to make sure to turn out all the lights. But on this particular night, somehow I forgot to switch off the light in the dining hall (which is placed next to next to my room hence difficult for me to realize that the light was actually on there).
So I was watching with full attention when I felt a bit uneasy, and I had this urge to look back. Mind you it was completely dark, except for the light coming from my laptop screen.
I turn my head back looking slowly towards the door and I see a white apparition looking at me! I screamed at the top of my lungs, and jumped off the couch. I threw my laptop aside, and hid myself under the covers.
Then somebody switches on the lights of my room, and I hear my mom asking me, ‘Why are you hiding in the covers after seeing me? I have been calling you since the last 5 minutes! What’s happening?’
I come out of my hiding, look at my mom and it dawns upon me the person (or should I say the ‘spirit’) was none other than my mom. She came to ask me whether she should turn out the lights of the dining hall or not. She had been calling me since last few minutes, but thanks to my earphones, I couldn’t hear a single thing and mistook her for a spirit! Shame on me!
In the meantime, my father also came downstairs, and I explained to my parents what really happened. They had a hearty laugh while I was staring at them like a complete idiot. My cheeks went red with embarrassment, and I cursed myself for showing such stupidity.”
Classic Mom Move
“Back when I was in 9th grade, I had a huge crush on a girl who was in the 8th grade as the same school as me. Somehow, with the help of friends, I managed to get her home landline number.
Since the day I got her number, I used to dial her landline number from my landline number.
Whenever I had the luck of her answering the call, I used to listen to her angelic ‘Hello….. Hello……. Hellooooo?’
Thankfully she didn’t have a caller ID on her landline, so I happily continued this practice for quite some time (not frequent enough to encourage a complaint).
We had two phone instruments at our house for the same landline number. One was in the hall, and the other one in my parents’ bedroom.
One fine day, I came back from school and decided to give her another blank call. After listening to her voice for some 4-5 seconds, I disconnected the call. To my horror, even after pressing the disconnect button on the phone, the call didn’t get disconnected. I tried, tried and tried but I was not able to cut the call. My crush hadn’t cut the call till now either. So after trying to disconnect the call multiple times, the reason hit me and I literally froze at that moment. When I turned back I saw my mom had the other telephone instrument to her ear and she was listening to the entire one sided conversation.
I immediately folded my hands and asked her to cut the call, but she covered the mic on the handset with her hands and asked ‘Who is she? Shall I tell her your name?’
At this time, I was begging her with my hands and feet to please cut the call and I’ll tell her the truth later. Finally, she agreed.
After giving me a long lecture, she blackmailed me into buying groceries for the entire week from the market myself in return of not telling dad about it.”
Don’t Touch Other Peoples’ Stuff
“I was five years old and, my dad had recently bought a CD player for our TV. There was just a computer in my home before then, but no one in my family was allowed to touch it as it had my dad’s office material.
So he gave me a collection of some CDs, which I used to listen all day long. I used to close the rom, play some song in full volume, and start dancing. The volume was heard in each and every room of my home. Those days were lovely.
One fine day, I was browsing through my dad’s cupboard and found some CDs. Some were music CDs, some were of movies and other had no name or anything written on them. I was so interested and decided to play it. Since the player was capable of adding 3 CDs in a single time, I left 2 music CDs and added one of the unknown CDs. The player took some time in scanning, so I went to the washroom just adjacent to the room until the scanning was complete. I knew the loud playing song would call me soon.
Suddenly sounds started coming from the TV in the whole house, ‘Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhh!’
I got confused and suddenly came out of the washroom and there was on the TV screen, an adult movie. Right in front of me ruining my childhood. My mom came running in the room too, and saw what I just did. She immediately turned it off but that was the day I heard the longest lecture of not touching elders’ stuff at home. The moment was so embarrassing.”
She Saw The Wrong Pictures
“After we got married, my husband and I went to Goa for our honeymoon. We always wanted to go to a romantic place, so we decided for Goa
After almost a week we came back, my in-laws planned a get together with some close relatives. One of my sister-in-laws really loved my wedding dress, and insisted me to show her the pictures on my phone. I gave it to her without remembering that I had my bikini pictures when we went on the beach during our honeymoon.
She, with no hesitation, took it and sat along with some in-laws complementing my last pictures.
There she scrolls to my honeymoon pictures. I stand there, realizing what she’s about to see. Please don’t scroll further, I’m praying. I was trying to think of how to stop her, but then she scrolls to the pictures.
There I am, with a pink bikini and a hat, next to husband kissing him on his cheeks. Embarrassing. God dang embarrassing.
But to add on to the embarrassment, the kid sitting next to her, said aloud addressing her mom, ‘Mom I also want to go to this place where everyone can walk around undressed!’
The room had pin drop silence. Everybody was shocked hearing that. I was dumbstruck. The male in-laws in the dining area also heard that. We were in living area though. To make it normal again, my sister-in-law said ‘Honey, it’s a blouse and a skirt with a hat on top.’ and returned the phone to me. My husband’s face was beet red.
I immediately went inside kitchen, and cursed myself about my carelessness.
But at night, my husband and I had good laugh at it.”
A Very Observant Child
“My firstborn was three at the time, and my dad was babysitting while my husband and I went out for the night. When we returned home, my dad had a firm look on his face. He used that low serious tone, and told us to sit down. I hadn’t seen that look in quite a few years.
My husband and I looked at each other, and I couldn’t recall anything that would make my dad upset. My daughter was the stars and moon for him, the same as when I was young.
His demeanor changed into Grandpa as he called my daughter into the room. He sat her beside him in front of us, and told her ‘Show Grandpa what you showed me earlier.’ There was notebook paper in front of them and I am still confused. Is she going to draw a picture, and what could she draw that would make him so upset?
Now you have to understand that my daughter is extremely smart and observant youngster and was an early learner. She now has her PH.d in communication.
She scrambles down in front of the coffee table, and she takes the notebook paper. She pretends to roll a smoke, and mimics it to perfection right down to licking the paper to seal it.
Oh no, when did she see this?
My mind is racing, I know I haven’t done anything like that in front of her. Like any young couples, we have had get-together and a few parties but, always careful to not let her see anything, or so I thought.
After she finishes, my dad using his sweet paw paw voice, tells her to go back to playing. She hops off, happy to have shown us what she had done.
I didn’t know what to say. I am in shock and seriously thinking I am going to get a spanking at my age. I felt like a teenager who just got caught.
My dad is and has always been my hero. He was a big strong truck driver, always smiling and so wonderful to be around. Growing up, we were rarely punished by him so when you got in trouble with him you knew it was serious.
We both sat there while he lectured us, and promised that we would be more vigilant in the future. His grandbaby better not ever see that again.”
A Complete Invasion Of Privacy
“Last night, I was trying my hand at writing. I was searching for a topic to write about. It was two by then and everyone was already asleep. I just don’t know why the heck I got this idea; I started writing a love letter for my crush (it wasn’t to be sent though). I started writing, mentioned every little point, why I liked him, points like, ‘without you, I won’t make it out alive,’ and other nonsense.
I was in euphoria; by then I had already written six sheets of an A4 notebook. I didn’t realize when I fell asleep, I still had the notebook still in my hand. The dumbest thing was that I already mentioned his name in the letter.
This morning I woke up, only to find my mom with my notebook and scrolling something in my phone. I almost got a heart attack (a mini one). She just in, with me searching for a place to hide myself.
I told her, ‘Mom it’s just a story, fiction mom!’
She shouted saying, ‘Then who the heck is ‘Mr. X,’ who’s also in your contact list?’
Me: ‘They are two different people mom!’ (Phew, by chance she didn’t take note of my messages, hail God).
She: ‘Now your dad will handle this.’
Then my dad arrives and asks what’s happening. My mom hands him the notebook, and leaves. He took around 10 minutes to read it. I was totally convinced that I’m going to get beheaded. I gained some strength and followed:
Me: ‘Dad, it’s just a work of fiction.’
Dad: ‘Yes beta, that’s why adult supervision is required.’
Utter silence follows.
Dad returns me the notebook and says, ‘Good work, continue, I want to read the climax as well.’
Probably the most embarrassing moment of my life by far.”
Brent Probably Isn’t Going To Call
“While finishing my graduate degree, I was living alone. One could say it was the quintessential bachelorette dream.
With dating apps becoming more prevalent, I was definitely enjoying the influx of dates I was having as well as the growing notches on my bedpost.
Ah yes, life was grand. Until it was time to start paying off my student loans, and move in with my parents.
The move absolutely decimated my dating life, as entertaining members of the opposite gender in a room in which I shared a wall with my parents would most likely be frowned upon.
One night, I was aimlessly swiping through one of my plethora of dating applications and came across Brent. Brent was a charming lad who was slightly younger than myself, but clearly had an old soul behind his stunning blue eyes and boyish features. Brent and I hit it off fabulously over tapas and drinks at a local watering hole, and when we wrapped up we decided to continue things back at his place…obviously.
We cracked open a bottle of bubbly, which was followed by a bottle of white. Brent and I ever so effortlessly lost ourselves in some wonderfully engaging conversation, and before I knew it we were immersed in a full on make out session.
We had just made our way to Brent’s bedroom when we were startled by a violent banging on the front door.
‘Who the heck could that be at 2 AM?’ Brent asked, bewildered.
BANG BANG BANG.
We heard Brent’s roommate scurry out of his bedroom and down the stairs to assess the situation, and listened intently to figure out who in the world would be causing such a raucous at this ungodly hour.
Brent’s roommate scurried back up the stairs and gently rapped on the bedroom door.
‘Hey man, is someone named Kristen here? Her parents are looking for her.’
What. The. Heck.
Horrified, I jumped out of the bed, straightened my blouse and ran down the stairs to find my pajama-clad mother and father impatiently waiting for me.
‘We were so worried about you! Where have you been?! We had no idea where you were!’ They squawked furiously.
Mortified I assured them I was OK, and that I was with my ‘friend,’ Brent. Brent stepped up nervously introduce himself and apologized for losing track of time.
‘Some gentleman you are!’ My mom said, not having one bit of his meek apology.
I shooed my parents out the door while expressing my own remorse to Brent.
Turns out, my mom woke up and decided to check if I made it home after my date. Upon finding that I had yet to return, they used the ‘Find My iPhone’ app to pinpoint my location and came to my ‘rescue.’
I have yet to hear from Brett. Most embarrassing date ever.
Thanks, Mom.”
A Minor Mix-Up
“I was 13 when, during one of the summer vacations, my dad and his five brothers decided to spend a month in my grandmother’s house along with their families.
Each family had at least five members each, so we were around 30 people living under one roof. We enjoyed our vacation with our cousins who were almost of the same age. During this time, the elders thought it would be fun for all of us to rent video tapes of famous movies, and watch which we did every afternoon of our stay.
One day, though, my uncle brought this movie, The Last Emperor, which was a popular movie with that cute kid who acted as the last emperor of a Chinese kingdom. So, all of us sat in the large hall and the video began.
We were eagerly waiting for the little guy to appear but instead what came on the screen were TOPLESS WOMEN.
Scores of them. They were running here and there in every scene. At first, my parents and the other elders were laughing to make light of the situation.
We, the kids, were thinking What the heck, and giggling.
The movie progressed, and the scenes got bolder and bolder. Still, no signs of the little emperor or any character in the movie. Confused, my dad went to the VCR and stopped it from running anymore. Then he took out the videotape to check.
On it was written: The Lost Empire. The video rental guy had obviously given the wrong tape.
Thoroughly embarrassed, my uncle was smiling stupidly, and everyone burst out laughing. Then, turning to us, my uncle sternly announced that the video session was finished for the day. He sent us outside to play while he went to the video rental shop, to give the owner a piece of his mind.
Needless to say, the incident was the center of discussion for the whole afternoon among the kids.”
Mom Didn’t Pick Up On What Was Happening, But She Did
“I was about 14, and a young male deep into early puberty. My mom took me shopping for school clothes, and we were at the mall trying on different clothes. We went into a new store, and my mom asked a store associate to help us.
The store associate, a stunningly beautiful girl who was a few years older than me, was very helpful. Being a young teen in early puberty, if the wind blew, I became excited.
Well, I’m trying on some new pants and I run into the challenge of trying to hide my excitement before leaving the changing room and I settled on the straight up approach (As in, I positioned my excitement straight up the middle).
Now, mind you, I hoped things would quickly settle down, but that was not the case.
As the incredibly attractive associate, and my mom, were examining the fit, my mom notices the bulge and says ‘What’s this!?’
You would think that would be the end of it, not so lucky. My mom and the associate both bent down to take a closer look. My mom proceeded to press on the bulge repeatedly, thinking there was extra clothing in the way, trying to get rid of it.
I was so shocked and embarrassed, I tried to pretend my mom was entirely correct that there was a strange bulge in the clothing.
The slightly older than me and very attractive associate, was giving a wonderful ‘Oh my goddess’ smile the entire time while staring at my bulge from a foot away. My mom eventually gave up and said we should try some other pants as these didn’t fit right.
I don’t believe my mom ever realized what really happened that day, even though the store associate certainly did at the time.”
Not A Kid-Friendly Game
“So it was New Year’s Eve. The adults were upstairs, chatting while the small children chased one another through the house.
The teenagers were in the basement, and because there was a relative lack of supervision, we decided to play Cards Against Humanity.
It was going well; I was surprising my sister with how well I was doing. And then my father came down the stairs.
He wanted to know if he could bring my little brother down, because my brother really likes hanging out with older kids. Now, the answer to this was quite obviously no. My brother is eleven, and he’s at the stage where he would definitely repeat the things that he heard.
My dad should have known this; I’m pretty sure he’s played Cards Against Humanity before. All of us were telling my dad very urgently that this game would not be appropriate for my brother, but my dad still looked unconvinced.
So this one kid, proving everyone who says teenagers are poor decision-makers right, illustrated our point. By showing my dad one of the cards in his hand.
It said, ‘Making love with tentacles.’
My brother did not stay downstairs.”
Perfect Time To Lose Power
“We recently moved to a new apartment. One evening, the electrician came over at our place to fit the TV. Everything went smoothly, until the person told my dad that he wanted to test the picture quality.
My dad immediately took out one of my flash drives from my bookshelf and plugged it in. Soon, the list of movies came up on the screen. They were: The Amazing Spider-Man, Fifty Shades of Grey HD Uncut, and The Dark Knight Rises.
My heart beat so dang fast, and I started diverting his attention somewhere else. How could I be this careless? Why did I even keep that flash drive right in my bookshelf?
Me: ‘Dad, this flash drive barely works you know.’
Dad: ‘Doesn’t work? Where? See, these names have appeared.’
Me: ‘Amazing Spider-Man is a good movie. You can check that.’
Dad: ‘Okay. But which are the rest two? (Reading aloud) Fifty Shades of? (The title usually moves pretty fast if it’s a long one.) Dark Knight?’
Me: ‘The Dark Knight is working. But the middle one gets stuck (I was trying so darn hard to keep him away).’
I had turned completely red. Anytime now, he would turn the film on. And the electrician guy was chuckling above that, looking at me. I bet he knew something was fishy in my behavior. I literally gave him a death stare.
My dad was about to press play, but right at that time, someone did hear my mental prayer, and the power went off. I took that chance to take the flash drive out and put it in my pocket. The guy had to leave, as electricity didn’t come back till 9 pm.”
This Was A Different Type of Disaster
“One Saturday evening, my dad returned from office with a plan to watch a Hollywood disaster movie. He brought a rented DVD from a shop nearby and asked me to play it. I turned on the player. Pressed ‘open’. Put the DVD and then pressed ‘close’. And I handed over the remote to Dad.
All eyes glued to the TV screen now- me, mom, sister and Dad.
The movie starts. A guy was sitting alone in a room. After a few minutes, a lady entered, sat beside the guy and they both started chatting, in a language we couldn’t understand. Unusual, we thought and started waiting patiently for a dinosaur or a blast or a earthquake to shake things up. Nothing’s happening. Five minutes… ten minutes.. They are still chatting. What the heck is happening?!!
Then finally, my dad angrily took the remote and pressed the fast-forward button.
Within a few seconds, the lady and the guy got undressed, started kissing, touching each other and the other obvious things, all in fast mode.
Shocked, stirred and embarrassed, we all started looking for a place to hide ourselves. Dad started pressing random buttons on the remote hastily in order to stop the darn thing. Finally, he pulled out the plug. Phew!
After that, we ate dinner went to sleep.
What a disaster!”